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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

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UNITED STATES OF AMEEICA. 




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'GOOD-NIGHT' 
THOUGHTS ABOUT GOD 



'GOOD-NIGHT' 
THOUGHTS ABOUT GOD; 



OR, 



EVENING READINGS FOR THE YOUNG 



BY 



EYA TRAVERS EVERED POOLE. 



K^ 



CINCINNATI : 

CRANSTON AND CURTS. 

NEW YORK: 

HUNT AND EATON. 



k 






The Lihr *y 
of Congress 



WASHINGTON 



PREFACE. 



To all my Young Friends everywhere. 

TN" giving you these ' Good-night ' thoughts about 
-*- God, I am hoping that they may be a great help 
to some of you in your daily endeavour to follow the 
Lord Jesus Christ. To others they may come as calls 
to a new, fresh, andr beautiful life never dreamt of 
before, but which this little book may set before 
them so clearly that they cannot help but love and 
follow the gentle Saviour who speaks through its 
pages. Evening by evening we shall read God's 
precious Word, and pillow our heads upon His pro- 
mises ; our last waking thoughts being of His loving- 
kindness, our last words being His praise. With God 
in our ' Good-night ' thoughts, the sleep He gives will 
be doubly sweet. 

Always your Friend, 

Eva Travers Evered Poole. 

Rockholme, Southampton, 1891. 

6 



CONTENTS. 



DAY. 

1. Jesus the First, 

2. 'Our Father/ . 

3. 'Always Xear,' 

4. ' Whatsoever,' . 

5. His Abiding Presence, 

6. The Holy Child Jesus, 

7. The Sheep of His Hand, 

8. Reading the Bible, . 

9. The Perfect Servant, 

10. Our Prayers, . 

11. A Wonderful Walk, 

12. Our Intercessor, 

13. 'Faithful,' 
14 Family Prayer, 

15. The King's Visit, . 

16. Our Treasure, . 

17. Watch, . 

18. Bearing Reproach, . 

19. Thorough Christians, 



PAGE 



13 
17 
20 
24 
27 
30 
34 
37 
40 
43 
47 
50 
54 
57 
61 
64 
(.8 
72 



CONTENTS. 



DAY. 

20. Jesus our Light, 

21. 'Thy Best,' 

22. The Gift of God, 

23. 'Alive or Dead? 

24. Trusting God, . 

25. 'From the Root up,' 

26. The Way of Salvation, 

27. 'The Prince of Life,' 

28. The Great Feast, . 

29. Called of God, 

30. Purified Hearts, 

31. Alpha and Omega, . 

For Christmas Day — Christmas, 
, New Year's Morning — The Two Looks, 
„ ,, Evening — God our Home, 

,, Good Friday— ' Jesus Died,' . 
„ Easter Evening— Jesus Lives, 



PAGE 

75 

78 

81 

84 

88 

92 

96 

99 

103 

107 

111 

114 

118 
121 
125 
129 
134 



First Day. 



fastis tbt Ifirat* 

'I the LORD, the First.' 
(Read Isa. xli. 1-6.) 

"ITTE always value the first of anything ! The first 
'" three or four violets picked in some sunny 
spot are so much prettier and sweeter than any others. 
One does not care half so much for the flowers when 
there are baskets full to be had for the gathering. 
And the first ripe, red strawberry ! How delicious 
it tastes and smells. Was there ever such a nice 
one ? Most children are delighted to get the first 
of any toy or book, or new thing — it is very 
natural, because we value rare things, and too 
often foolishly look down upon what is common arid 
plentiful. Do you know how much God likes the 
first of anything ? 

He wants the first place in your heart, and its first 



io JESUS THE FIRST. 

love ; and you cannot please Him better than by giving 
it to Him. Before the world, before friends have it, 
give it to God. 

The first thing this little book asks you, in sweet 
and silver tones, is the heart question, — 

( Do you love Jesus ? and will you let Him be 
first ? ' 

What answer will you give to this silent messenger 
of God's love ? Shall it be a glad ' Yes ' ? Can you 
truly say, — 

' Lord Jesus, I love Thee ; I know Thou art mine ? ' 

Oh ! it is a great sin not to love Jesus. Perhaps 
you want to love Him ? You must learn to know 
Him, for we cannot love those we do not know. We 
may love those we have never seen, for we may get 
to know them by their letters to us, or writings, 
which show us how good and true they are. Just 
so, we may learn to love the unseen Saviour through 
reading His Word (His letter to us), which shows 
us how good and true He is (1 Pet. i. 8). It will 
be a happy thing for you, if reading God's Word 
every day of this month teaches you to know and love 
Jesus ! 

Let your daily prayer be, ' O God ! teach me to 
know and love my Saviour Jesus Christ, through Thy 
holy Word. Amen/ 

Then He will want jour first thoughts. Perhaps 



fESUS THE FIRST. II 

that nice red and gold story-book you hide under the 
pillow at night, ready for the morning, will say, ' Read 
me first, and then pray to God and read your Bible.' 
That is a little temptation of Satan ; he wants to 
be first. Eemember that, and always give the first 
thoughts to God. Jump out of bed and put the 
pillow well down over the story-book, so that you 
cannot see its tempting cover any longer. Answer 
back, ' God first I and then take up your Bible and 
read its precious promises. Talk to your heavenly 
Father in prayer, and let Him answer you through His 
Word. 

He likes to be consulted first. If you are going to 
do anything, or want "to go anywhere, ask God if He 
would like it first, and mother next. Let it be l God 
first ' all day, and in all things. 

Give Him the first of your life, too — the bright, 
fresh years of childhood. 

One of our poets has told us that — 

'A flower when offered in the bud is no mean sacrifice.' 

You would like to give Him the best, would you 
not? 

It is a mean thing to offer God the remnant of a 
worn-out life ; the husks of the purple grapes. Do 
not wait until your body is old and weak, your 
freshness all faded, your life half gone, before coming 
to Jesus. Come to Him now. Let Him be first. 



12 JESUS THE FIRST. 

So let this first evening find you giving Him heart, 
love, life, ALL. 

1 1 will give Him the years of my life if they many be or few, 
And will seek each day of those years His pleasure to know and 

do ; 
Like the flower that turns her face each morn to the rising sun, 
So will I look to my Lord to see what He would have done.' 



'our father: 13 



Second Day. 



'(But fathtx: 

(Read Matthew vi. 5-15.) 

"VTIGHT and morning we may repeat these sweet 
-^ words after dear lips in prayer, yet never know 
God really as ■ Our Father' (Matt vi. 9). 

I have read of a painter's child who became blind 
in infancy, but when nearly grown into a big girl had 
her blindness removed by an oculist. 

When first told that this could be done, the child's 
chief thought (her mother being dead) was that she 
would be able to see her father, who had always 
watched over his motherless, sightless girl with great 
tenderness. When sight came back to her, she was 
in rapture, and calling her father, shut her eyes and 
ran her fingers over his face, as if to assure herself that 
this was really the father whom she had hitherto only 
known by touch ; then opening her eyes widely, she 



14 'our father: 

looked at him. Seeing how noble he was in appear- 
ance, as well as in reality, she cried out, — 

'Just to think I have had this dear, dear father 
for so many years, and never, never knew him ! ' 

Just as great and greater is the joyful surprise of 
any soul when the dark scales of unbelief fall from 
its eyes, and new light bursts upon it, so that it can 
look up into its heavenly Father's face, always radiant 
and loving, but now for the first time really seen. 

Dear child, you cannot see God as your Father 
except in the face of Jesus Christ His Son, and your 
Saviour (John i. 14). 

, We must be ' born from above ' (John iii. 5). We 
must become 'children of God' (Rom. viii. 21); 'sons 
and daughters of the Lord God Almighty ' (2 Cor. vi. 
18) ; 'brethren of the Lord Jesus Christ' (Heb. ii. 11); 
and belong to ' the family in heaven and earth ' 
(Eph. iii. 15). 

The Lord Jesus addressed God by the sweet name, 
' Abba, Father ' (Mark xiv. 36), teaching us how to come 
to Him in prayer. How sad it is that so many in 
our land, and in far away heathen countries, know 
nothing of God as ' Fatfier.' 

Long, long ago in Persia, a great many people were 
worshipping in the magnificent Temple of the Sun. 
It was a grand building, shining with gold, con- 
taining a golden sun with a man's face, and rays of 



c our father: 15 

light extending round it. This was the representation 
of their god. When the ceremonies were over, and 
the white-robed priests moved slowly away, a Jew 
addressed one of them, and said, — 

' How can you worship the sun ? Do you not 
know there is one great God above all, and nothing 
can picture His greatness/ 

1 Oh/ replied the priest, ' we do not worship the sun 
or its golden image ; we look higher than that, and 
try to remember that the sun to us is but the emblem 
of Deity. Only the common and ignorant people fall 
into the error of supposing the sun itself is God, and 
we cannot help that. But/ turning to him, ' what do 
you call that great Deity, of whom I have heard so 
much ? ' 

'We call Him "Jehovah," the everlasting God, 
Eternal, highest above all/ replied the Jew, reverently 
bowing. 

' But can you dare utter a name so holy, so awe- 
inspiring, when you draw nigh to Him ? ' said the 
priest. 

' Alas ! we know no other/ sorrowfully replied the 
Jew. 

'We Christians call Him "Abba, Father," ' softly 
said a man who had stood listening to this conver- 
sation. 

1 Teach, oh teach us/ cried both priest and Jew, ' to 



16 'OUR FATHER. 

know this " Abba, Father " ; teach us some gentle, 
human name by which to know Him, for our hearts 
crave after Him ! ' 

Then the Christian told them how God became a 
Father to all in Christ Jesus (Gal. iii. 26), and that 
when we believe in His dear Son we become His 
children (Eom. viii. 16), and have a right to call Him 
by the sweet name of ' Father ' ; that through and in 
' Jesus only ' this right is given to us, gladdening our 
poor hearts with the revelation of a Father God. 

Can you say after Jesus, ' Abba, Father ' ? (Mark 
xiv. 36) or are you still afraid, still afar off, still 
unforgiven ? (Isa. lvii. 1 9). 

Come to ' Our Father ' in the name of Jesus, and 
He says, ' " I will receive you, and will be a Father 
unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters," 
saith the Lord God Almighty' (2 Cor. vi. 18). 

'Art thou my Father? Canst Thou bear 
To hear my poor, imperfect prayer ? 
Or wilt Thou listen to the praise 
That such a little one can raise ? 

Art Thou my Father? let me be 
A meek obedient child to Thee ; 
And try in word and deed and thought 
To serve and please Thee as I ought.' 



'ALWAYS NEAR.' 17 



Third Day- 



'JUhratrs Jhar/ 

(Read Matthew xxviii. 16-20.) 

ITTLE Harry was born in India, and was a timid, 
-*-^ nervous child. His Indian nurses used to 
frighten him by telling him terrible stories, none of 
which were true, although Harry believed them ; so 
even when he was four years old he was afraid to 
sleep in a dark room, and always begged for a light. 
He used to think if he awoke in the night and saw 
no light, that he had become blind. . But when he 
came to England he was taught better by his kind 
aunts, and was not afraid of going to bed in the dark, 
although he still retained his old fear of being blind. 

One night he awoke suddenly, and sitting up in 
bed, finding he could not see, cried to his aunt, who 
was sleeping in the room, — 

' Auntie ! auntie ! Oh, help me, help me ! I am 
blind ! I cannot see ! ' Every moment increased his 

2 



18 ' ALWAYS NEAR.' 

distress, and his cries to his aunt for help, until her 
kind voice said calmly, — 

( Hush, Harry, hush ; / am watching over you.' 

The child heard the well-known tones, he knew the 
love in his young aunt's heart for him ; and without 
uttering another cry, he sank back to rest again, 
trusting fully that she would protect him. 

From little Harry's perfect trust in the promise 
and love of one stronger and wiser than he, we may 
learn how we ought to treat the Lord Jesus' gracious 
words, and especially this promise before us : < Lo, I am 
with you alway' (Matt, xxviii. 20). 

It is the same sort of promise as that of Harry's 
aunt : ( I am watching over you.' It ought to bring us 
comfort even in the night of sorrow, and when our 
hearts sink under strong temptation. We do not 
need to see Jesus (John xii. 22); it may be too dark 
around us for even faith's keen vision to trace His 
form, but His voice is enough (Matt. xiv. 27). 

He is with us, He is watching over us ; and surely 
that is comfort enough for us. We ought to sink 
back to rest with perfect confidence in His love. 
During the doleful journey back to school, after a 
bright and happy holiday, do not forget that, if you 
are one of His disciples, ' He is with you.' 

If you are beginning the usual routine in the dear, 
old home, from which a darling mother or kind father 



'ALWAYS NEAR. 19 

has been taken away by God, and things look darker 
and drearier than you ever knew them before, and the 
blank that death has left seems wider and more awful 
each day, remember still, as you cry out in your 
darkness, that He is with you. ■ In all their afflictions 
He was afflicted' (Isa. lxiii. 9). 

You cannot suffer a sorrow in which Jesus is not 
with you (Isa. liii. 4). In all your joys He takes 
part. ' The Lord taketh pleasure in the prosperity of 
His people' (Ps. xxxv. 27). He loves to be with you 
in all your work, or play, or thoughts, if you will only 
let Him. The remembrance of His presence will 
keep you from sin (Ps. cxix. 101, 102); for 'Thou 
God seest me ' (Gen. xvi. 1 3). 

It will check many an unguarded word, and many 
an un-Christlike action. This is a very sweet pro- 
mise, that should bring you much happiness. You 
would love to have your own dear mother always by 
your side ; you think perhaps then you would never 
do wrong; but though she cannot be with you always, 
the Lord Jesus can and will, if you will only take 
His promise, and rest upon it. 

So rest to-night, feeling Jesus is near, and He will 
protect you. 

1 Lonely ? no, not lonely, 
While Jesus standeth by; 
His presence fills my chamber, 
I know that He is nigh. 1 



20 'WHATSOEVER.' 



Fourth Day. 



'Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all 
to the glory of God.' 

(Read 1 Cor. x. 31-33.) 

"WHATSOEVER ! not the big things of life only, 
' * but all things. Is it possible to do tiny, 
everyday duties in a way that shall glorify God ? 
Yes ; not only possible, but absolutely imperative. 
It is your Saviour's command. 

How are you to fulfil it ? Every young reader of 
mine has little duties, many of which are tiresome ones, 
and many may seem but trifling, so that it is the 
greatest blessing to remember that they are duties, and 
must be done on principle, not at our own choice and 
pleasure. Little things are often very important, and 
a girl or boy faithful to nurse, father, schoolmaster, or 
employer will be faithful by and by to country, prin- 






'whatsoever: 21 

ciples, and God. What are the ■ small things ' whereby 
we can please God ? (Zech. iv. 10). 

There are small conquests of self, little sins to be 
striven against, ' for the glory of "God ; ' little tempers, 
fretful, unforgiving, unkind, which it is our duty to 
put aside ; little sins of the tongue to be avoided : 
remembering that our lips are not our own, and that 
we can use our words ' for the glory of God/ 

Our reading may be done c to His glory ' ; we can 
always safely judge if the books we read come under 
this head by finding out if they send us back to 
our Bible with greater delight and fresher desire for 
it. Any books that draw us away from, or hinder 
our enjoyment of God's Word let us give up, for they 
are not to c His glory/ 

Every little act of the day should have reference 
to God. This is what is meant by having ' God in all 
your thoughts ' (Ps. x. 4). 

Private prayer is a duty ; do it to God's glory, do not 
hurry over or wander in it. ' Be not rash with thy 
mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any- 
thing before God : for God is in heaven, and thou upon 
earth : therefore let thy words be few ' (Eccles. v. 2). 

Pleading His Word is not only a privilege but a 
duty ; do not hurry away from it, do not slur over it ; 
read it not only for your soul's good, but to the ' glory 
of God/ 



22 'whatsoever: 

Little kindnesses are duties — duties we owe at home 
to friends, servants, and fellows ; our kind words will 
glorify God, kind inquiries after an ailment, words of 
sympathy for a sorrow, wise counsel in a difficulty — 
all, all are Christ-like. Jesus was full of kindness, 
tenderness, and thoughtfulness. All He did was to 
the c glory of God ' ; learn to be like Him, to speak 
gently to the aged, the erring, the poor ; to act in love 
towards all. ' A word spoken in due season, how good 
is it' (Prov. xv. 23). 

Little services for Jesus can be done to God's glory, 
visits to a sick one, a flower or a penny to a troubled 
and needy one, a class in the Sunday school, a collect- 
ing-box for some good cause ; do not do these things 
because you are asked to, or think it proper to do them, 
or to please your friends, but just for God's glory. 
Let it be ' whatsoever ye do! 

Lastly, remember that everything you do from 
morning till night must come under this head. Your 
rising in good time for prayer, reading, breakfast, and 
lessons ; your dressing, not for your own glory, but 
God's ; your eating, not to please your appetite, but 
to nourish God's ' temple,' which is your little body 
(2 Cor. vi. 16) ; your walking for His sake, and where 
He would like you to go ; your lessons done as to the 
Great Teacher; your sins resisted, your tongue con- 
trolled, your reading chosen, your kindnesses done, 



'WHATSOEVER.' 23 

your services undertaken, — all, all for the glory of 
Jesus ! 

Does it seem hard ? Oh ! can it seem hard ? Any- 
thing is easy for one whom we love, and the harder 
the task the more pleasure w T e have in doing it. Love 
sweetens it all. 

1 Whatsoever ' sounds hard to those who are outside 
the love of Jesus, but so sweet to those who want to 
please Him in everything. And it is such a simple 
rule ! We have only to ask about anything, ' Is this 
to the glory of God ? ' and we shall find an answer to 
every doubtful question. 

■ Everything for Jesus, 
Nothing I withhold ; 
Henceforth by His wishes 
I will be controlled.' 



24 HIS ABIDING PRESENCE. 



Fifth Day. 



(Read Luke xix. 1-10.) 

/~\NE day I was sitting at a window, and a very 
^ dear friend passed by and nodded to me, 
saying, ' I am coming in to spend the evening presently 
with you.' s 

Oh, how pleased I was ! I ran first to see that 
everything was ready in the room she would occupy, 
to place her favourite chair, and to remove anything 
I knew she might not like. And, when all was ready, 
I sat down and watched the road by which she would 
come, longing to see her figure appear round the 
corner. 

Tis thus we welcome an earthly friend ; but what 
greetings should we give the best Friend to-day, if 
He spoke to us, saying, — 



HIS ABIDING PRESENCE. 25 

1 To-day I must abide at thy house ' (ver. 5). If 
we knew the Lord was coming to-day into our home, 
what should we do ? Is there any book we should 
run upstairs to hide, any quarrel with brother or 
sister we should like to make up before we met 
Him, any little falsehood we should be afraid He 
would speak of, or any idle hour we should wish to 
redeem ? I am afraid many of you, dear children, 
would much rather the Lord came to-morrow than 
1 to-day/ that you might have time to get ready for 
Him. But He says we are to ' watch always ' 
(Luke xxi. 36), to be 'also ready; for at an hour 
we know not the Son of man cometh' (Matt. xxiv. 
44). 

But we have each another 'house' into which the 
Lord Jesus desires admission. This 'house' is our 
heart (Rev. iii. 20). There are many rooms in it — 
rooms full of love, of pride, of passion, of many 
desires ; and there is a ' guest-chamber ' where He 
would abide (Mark xiv. 14). Will you let Him in ? 
When He stands at your door and knocks, will you 
open to Him ? (Rev. iii. 20). 

Who is in your ' guest-chamber/ in the best place 
of your heart ? Is it Satan ? Is it self ? Is it some 
sin? Oh, dear child! listen to the sweet voice of Jesus, 
saying, ' To-day I must abide at thy house/ Let Him 
have the chief place, the place of honour. ' To-day,' 



26 



BIS ABIDING PRESENCE. 



He says ; so He wants to come in now (Heb. iv. 7). 
He never promises to knock to-morrow (Prov. xxvii. 
1). Be very careful to take Him at His word now, 
and let Him in directly He knocks, or He may turn 
away (Prov. i. 28). Let your cry be to Him/ Abide 
with me ; take my heart, Lord, and make it Thy 
house ! ' 



' Christ brings thee joy from heaven above, 
He offers pardon, peace, and love ; 
Oh ! little heart oppressed with sin, 
Say, "Enter in; Lord, enter in."' 



THE HOL Y CHILD JESUS. 27 



Sixth Day. 



t Inis WUr J*sits, 

(Read Luke ii. 40-52.) 

TESUS is set before you as your great Example. 
^ You remember when you were first taught to 
write, that you had a copy at the head of your page, 
which was beautifully printed, and which you were 
given to imitate. Your teacher knew you would 
never write quite so perfectly, but still he bade you 
try your best. Just so you must copy Jesus. As a 
little child, you must be like the ' Holy Child Jesus ' 
(Acts iv. 30) ; as a big man, you must imitate the l Man 
Christ Jesus ' (1 Tim. ii. 5). Let me show you in what 
way you can do it. 

The Lord Jesus was a very obedient child (Luke ii. 
51). His father or mother's words or wishes were law 
to Him. What are they to you ? 

His temper was never ruffled ; if He were spoken 



28 THE HOL Y CHILD JESUS. 

to unkindly, He never gave a sharp answer back, but 
remained quiet and silent (Matt. xxvi. 63). 

He never used angry, rude words ; He could say 
of Himself, 'I am meek and lowly in heart * (Matt. 
xi. 29). 

He was 'holy/ Look at Him under temptation 
(Luke iv. 2); in heavy sorrow (Mark xiv. 32, 33). 

See how humble He was (John xiii. 1—18). He 
lived in a poor home, yet He was not ashamed of it, 
or of His humble birth ; for Jesus had no false pride 
in Him. 

Are you ever inclined to wish for wealth, position, 
or luxuries ? Eemember that Jesus had them not. 
He was the only person who ever lived on earth that 
could have chosen His own home, and He chose a poor 
home and a lowly position. Isn't this a lesson for us ? 
He was a busy child, and a busy man. Just see what 
He did in one day of His life ; and when you are 
tempted to sit idly over the fire, or to loiter about, 
grumbling at being sent on so many little errands, read 
the first chapter of Mark, and see one of the busy days 
of Jesus. 

He was prayerful (Matt. xiv. 23; Luke ix. 18; 
John xvii. 9) ' early in the morning/ How about you ? 
Do you lie in a warm bed, hurry up at the last moment, 
and scramble through a few muttered words of prayer, 
fearing each moment to hear the breakfast-bell ring ? 



• THE HOL Y CHILD JESUS. 29 

or do you have a real early getting up, and a real 
prayer, like Jesus your Example ? 

Jesus was unselfish. He never seems to have kept 
anything nice for Himself. When He was hungry, He 
fed others first; when He was tired, He never grew 
cross. He was always ready to help, to love, to pity. 
Other people always came first with Jesus. Can you 
imagine Him trying to get the best place at table, the 
nicest thing, or the biggest share ? I am sure you 
cannot. Are you like Him, then, when you think of 
self first ? 

Study the copy God has given you. Brightly from 
each page of the Word shines out the beauty of Jesus. 

Eead about Him, and mark His life and actions, and 
then c go and do thou likewise ' (Luke x. 3 7). 

'I want to be like Jesus, 
So lowly and so meek ; 
For no one marked an angry w^ord 
That ever heard Him speak. 

But, oh ! I'm not like Jesus, 

As any one may see ; 
gentle Saviour, send Thy grace ; 

And make me like to Thee. 



30 THE SHEEP OF HIS HAND. 



Seventh Day. 



Vdt £b«p 0f lis tank 

(Read John x. 1-18.) 

"V^ES ! that is what we love to call ourselves. How 
-*- often we say or sing the words, ' We are the people 
of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand' (Ps. c. 3). 

Jesus is our Shepherd King, the true David (Rev. 
xxii. 1G), who cares for His Father's little flock. He 
calleth His own sheep by name (John x. 3) ; this tells 
us so much of His personal knowledge of each of us, 
the knowledge of our peculiar difficulties and weak- 
nesses, of the circumstances round us, and of all our 
special capabilities for serving Him. 

I have read somewhere that in most flocks there are 
little motherless lambs who have been brought up by 
hand, and who are the special care of the shepherd ; 
and these little lambs grow very tame and gentle, and 
in the early mornings, when the shepherd appears, 
they bound to his side and lick his hand, following 



THE SHEEP OF HIS HAND. 31 

him wherever he goes. These little lambs are called 
1 cossets/ 

I love to think that Jesus takes just such special 
care of any of the little lambs of His flock who have 
been left motherless. It will comfort some of you who 
have lost a dear, kind, loving mother to remember that 
' When my father and mother forsake me, then the 
Lord will take me up' (Ps. xxvii. 10). 

Just what you want ! Give yourself over to Jesus 
to be brought up by His hand, to be His own little 
1 cosset ' lamb, His special care. Then you will learn 
to love His voice, and rejoice to follow His kind 
footsteps. ■ These are they which follow the Lamb 
whithersoever He goeth ' (Rev. xiv. 4). 

It is very sweet to remember that our Shepherd 
goes before (John x. 4) His sheep, and never asks us to 
go anywhere where He has not preceded us already. 
He does not bid us f go/ but bids us ' follow Him ' 
(John x. 4). It is not always easy to follow Jesus. 
Sometimes His footprints lead us away from the sunny 
valleys and sheltered pastured grounds, out into the 
bare desert, or upon the bleak mountain-top. But 
Jesus goes before us, and so we may safely follow 
where He has trod. Even if He calls ' Follow Me ! ' 
across the river of death, we need not fear ; for He 
has gone before, and has entered into heaven itself, 
as the ' forerunner of His people' (Heb. vi 20). 



32 THE SHEEP OF HIS HAND. 

I wonder if any of my readers have forgotten what 
the voice of Jesus sounds like, and have been listening 
to the voice of strangers (John x. 5). 

Ah ! you will fail to hear the Master's voice if you 
tread in paths where He walks not. If some of those 
who call themselves His sheep are found amusing 
themselves where Christ is not, are enjoying society 
which Jesus could not have enjoyed, I am not surprised 
that the sound of their Shepherd's voice has grown 
faint and fainter, and has now quite died away. The 
sheep that follow in His footsteps are the sheep that 
hear His voice (John x. 27). 

Some time ago, an American gentleman was travel- 
ling in Syria, and stopped to watch three shepherds 
watering their flocks at a well. All the sheep mixed 
together, and to a stranger's eye they appeared as one 
flock. Presently the shepherd arose from the well- 
side, and called out ' Men-ah,' the Arabic word for 
* follow me/ 

To the American's surprise about thirty sheep 
separated themselves from the others, and followed the 
man up a hill. The second shepherd cried ' Men-ah ! ' 
' Men-ah ! ' and away went the second flock. The 
American was very much astonished at this, and 
seeing the third shepherd gathering up his crook, and 
a few scattered dates that had fallen from the palm 
under which he rested, he stepped up to him and said 






THE SHEEP OF HIS HAND. 33 

' Would your sheep follow me if I called them ? ' 
The man shook his head. 

' Give me your cloak and crook, and let me try/ 
The shepherd did so, even taking off his dirty turban 
and twisting it round the American's head with a grin 
of amusement, and then he stood and watched him call 
' Men-ah ! Men-ah ! ' until he was quite hoarse. The 
sheep stood lazily blinking at him, basking in the sun- 
shine, but not one of them moved a step. 

' Do they never follow any one but you ? ' asked the 
American of the shepherd. 

' Only when a sheep is sick, and then the silly 
creature follows any one/ replied the shepherd. 

So we learn this lesson ; that if any of Christ's 
sheep cannot hear His voice, or distinguish it from 
the voice of the world, the flesh, and the devil, it is 
because that sheep is sick. 

Yes, soul-sick, sinful, backsliding; and, oh ! so 
foolish. Is that what troubles you ? Have you grown 
tired of prayer and Bible reading, and working for 
Jesus ? Oh ! poor sin-sick soul, come back to your 
Shepherd to-day ; let your prayer be this : 

1 Cause me to hear Thy voice ' (Cant. viii. 13) ; and 
when you hear it again, keep close to His side. 

'He shall carry the lambs in His bosom, 

For the little feet might fail ; 
And the wearisome wilderness journey 
Is long for the weak and frail.' 
3 



34 READING THE BIBLE. 



Eighth Day. 



fUabhtg tljt ISibU* 

(Read Acts viii. 26-39.) 

T170ULD you think it a very strange thing to see 
' ' a prince driving in his carriage Bible in hand, 
studying God's Word ? I cannot help thinking people 
would be astonished. They would say, ' If the prince 
wants to read his Bible, why does he not do so quietly 
at home ? ' 

The words we read to-night tell us of a great man 
who was not ashamed to be seen studying his Bible. 
Satan very often tempts us to be ashamed. He 
says to us, ' Pray and read, and be as religious as 
you like, only don't say anything about it — it is 
much better not to.' But Satan's advice is always 
very bad advice, and he gives it to us on purpose 
to do us some harm. He is called the ■ Old Serpent ' 
(Rev. xii. 9), because he is full of cunning wiles. 



READING THE BIBLE. 35 

I heard once of an infidel's conversion through seeing 
a good, old Christian man walking day by day past 
his house with his Bible under his arm. He saw that 
man was not ashamed to show how much he loved it. 
and also that it was his constant companion ^md guide; 
so one day the infidel began reading the book, and 
learned also to love and prize it, as all earnest Bible 
students do (Ps. cxix. 97). 

Sometimes boys and girls at school are afraid of 
being called ( saints/ and do not like to be seen day 
by day reading the Word of God, as they know they 
ought. They think they will wait until the holidays, 
or until some other time when nobody sees them, 
and laughs at them. So Satan gains his day, and 
keeps them from confessing Christ (Matt. x. 33). 
That is very, very sad. 

Again, we often hear the excuse from a boy or girl, 
1 I have no time.' The bell rings, bed is warm and 
cosy; at the very last moment they jump up, hurry on 
their clothes, find time for a short prayer, and then 
run down to breakfast, lessons, and practice. To be 
sure they ought to have read their Bibles, but ' they 
had no time/ 

Could they not have got up a few moments earlier ? 
1 Well, but it was so cold, and I did not think it 
was quite so late ; and after all, I will try and read a 
little more to-morrow, so it does not so much matter. 1 



36 READING THE BIBLE. 

Ah ! excuses come only too ready and fast when duty 
is neglected. 

Now, we may notice that this ' man of Ethiopia, 
of great authority/ made time for Bible study. I have 
no doubt that in his position he found plenty to fill 
hands and brain ; his life w r as a great deal busier and 
more important than yours. He might have enjoyed 
his drive that day, and looked about him at the 
scenery and objects of interest, but he seized, perhaps, 
his only opportunity of quiet time for Bible-reading. 

Yes, where there's a will, there's always a way. 
Never let a day pass without reading a small portion 
of His Word ; find time, make time, grasp time for 
it. Ask God to help you to keep this resolution, and 
determine never to be ashamed of an open and often 
read Bible (Ps. cxix. 46). 

' Of all the books by man possessed, 
The Holy Bible is the best, 
With life and love 'tis beaming ; 
How bright its sacred truths appear, 
This fallen world to light and cheer, 
Like stars 'mid darkness gleaming.' 



THE PERFECT SERVANT. 



37 



Ninth Day. 



'I am among you as he that serveth.' 
(Read Luke xxii. 24-30.) 

nriHEEE had been a great quarrel amongst the 
-**■ disciples. Peter disputed with John, and 
Andrew with Bartholomew (Luke ix. 46). Most 
probably, I think, each must have been refusing to 
be the one who washed the other's feet. It was a 
slave's duty, and one of the little party must perform 
it ; but no one liked to own that he was the least, and 
'servant of all' the rest (Luke xxii. 26). Each had 
something to boast of. Peter could tell of the Trans- 
figuration, and say he was surely one of the chief 
apostles (Matt. xvii. 1). Nathanael might speak of 
the Lord's own words, that he was ' without guile ' 
(John i. 47), and refuse to acknowledge inferiority to 
Peter, and so on, until, to their shame and surprise, 



38 THE PERFECT SERVANT. 

Jesus Himself rose from the table, took the basin and 
towel which they would not touch, and knelt before 
them as the servant of all (John xiii. 14). Oh, how 
gentle a rebuke, and yet how terrible ! The Son of 
God could stoop to do what a vile sinner felt lowered 
by doing. And then He spoke to them as He was 
wont, gently but unsparingly, and uttered our wonder- 
ful good-night text word, ' I am among you as he that 
serveth.' 

I wonder if you have ever thought of the Lord 
Jesus as a servant, and asked yourself, ( Whom does 
He serve, and what does He do for them ? ' He is 
the servant of sinners (Isa. xlii. 1). 

He still washes the sin-laden feet of His people. 
Although He died to win our service (Heb. ix. 14), 
and although He now lives on high, He does not live 
to be served only ; but He is always working for His 
people, always doing something on their behalf (Heb. 
vii. 25). Everything you ask Him to do only pleases 
Him. He is never tired, He is always thinking of 
you (Ps. xl. 17), always caring for you (1 Pet. v. 7). 
He is always ready to work for you, and to do what 
you ask 'according to His will' (1 John v. 14). 

His is a service of love. We are so pleased to do 
things for those whom we love. It is wonderful to 
know that He loves you and me, though why we can 
never, never find out ; and that He really loves to 



THE PERFECT SERVANT. 39 

present our little prayers to His Father (John xiv. 13), 
that He delights to wash our feet from daily sin, 
and takes true pleasure in trying to help us in any 
trouble of which we may tell Him (Heb. iv. 16). 

Does it not teach us to be ready to serve any one, if 
He is so ready to serve us ? Surely it does not matter 
how cross and disagreeable people may be, or what 
things they may ask us to do, for ' even Christ pleased 
not Himself (Eom. xv. 3). 

If Jesus does not mind serving us, we surely need 
not mind doing anything for others. The lower we 
stoop to help others, the more we resemble Jesus 
'who humbled Himself (Phil. ii. 8). He came as a 
( servant/ and we nee4 not try to be ' masters ' (Jas. 
iii. 1). Let us be content to follow Him, and to be 
among men c as he that serveth/ ready to give up our 
rights (as we call them), and to make room and give 
way to others. 

'If washed in Jesus' blood 

Then bear His likeness too ; 
And as you onward press, 
Ask — What would Jesus dot* 



40 



OUR PRAYERS. 



Tenth Day. 



(But $xayi£X%. 

(Read Matt. vi. 5-15.) 

SUPPOSE you say your prayers morning and 
-*- night ? I need scarcely ask if you pray, but I 
want to know very much how you pray. Do you 
understand me ? I should not dream of asking if 
you talk to your earthly father, but it is a natural 
question to ask how you are in the habit of talking 
to him ? 

' Oh ! ' you say, ' I talk to father — well, I tell him 
all that I want, and all I have done, and all I want 
to do ; I ask him what he thinks about it.' 

Quite right ! I daresay you often climb on your 
father's knee, and say, ( Darling father/ and stroke 
his hair, and kiss his dear, kind face. And I want 
you when you pray to your heavenly Father, dear 
children, not to be content with only saying the 



OUR PRAYERS. 41 

prayers to God that have been taught you, and that 
you never vary day after day, or night after night, 
but before you pray, to stop and think. 

' God is my Father (Luke xi. 2). I am His little 
child, for Jesus' sake. I may come and tell Him 
anything I like, and all I have done. He knows all 
I want, and can do everything for me. He lets me 
talk to Him just as my father or mother would do/ 

Do you not think that then your praying would 
be very different to what it is now ? I should like 
to quote to you a child's prayer, because I think it 
will show you how little George had grasped the 
great and glorious truth that God was his dear, loving 
Father, and between them there might be the very 
happiest, child-like confidence and intercourse. 

' My Father in heaven, I do love You. You make 
the sun shine ; You make the grass grow ; and 
nobody can make such dear little kittens as You do. 
You love me a lot more than mamma does ; You 
make me more things than she does ; she cannot 
make any flowers, but You make new flowers every 
day. I wish I could see You. It will be nice to see 
You. I shall be so ashamed if You don't like me. 
Please keep me close to You ; make me a good child 
to You, and some day let me come and live with You, 
for my Saviour Christ's sake. Amen.' 

This was George's prayer, which he prayed very 



42 OUR PRAYERS. 

quietly and reverently. It was just like a tiny child 
talking, you see ; and when he read God's holy Word, 
he said he could almost fancy he heard God talking 
back to him. 

Do get into the habit of consulting God about 
everything ; tell Him your pleasures and sorrows, 
just as you would tell your mother (Isa. lxvi. 13). 
You and I ought always to consult the wishes of 
Jesus about everything. Before we read any book, 
however pleasant, let us find out if it is a book to 
which He would object. Let us ask Him also about 
the places we go to, the friends we make, and the 
plans for our life. I am sure it will help us to settle 
so many difficulties. You know how often when you 
want to do something or to go somewhere, you run 
and ask mother if she minds ; this is the habit I want 
you to cultivate, and to feel as free to go to Jesus 
and as anxious to find out His wishes as you are those 
of your dear parents. Be sure of the fulfilment of 
this promise, 'He shall call upon ME, and I will 
answer him' (Ps. xci. 15). 

1 1 often say my prayers, 
But do I ever pray ? 
And do the wishes of my heart 
Go with the words I say ? 

Lord, teach me what I want, 

And teach me how to pray ; 
Nor let me ask Thee for Thy grace, 

Not feeling what I say.' 



A WONDERFUL WALK. 43 



Eleventh Day. 



Jl manbtxinl Walk. 

(Read Luke xiii. 35.) 

rTIHIS was one of the most wonderful walks ever 
-*- taken. Cleopas and his friend would never 
forget it, and often afterwards they would say, one to 
the other, — 

c You remember that day, don't you ; and that 
walk ? ' 

The very day they took that wonderful walk is 
believed to have been Sunday, April 8th, a.d. 32 or 
33. It was a long, long walk of more than eight miles. 

Eead the account of the disciples' walk to Emmaus 
carefully, and you will learn a few lessons from it. 
First, that it is well for Christians to talk quietly to 
one another about Jesus. There is a special promise 
in Malachi hi. made to those who talk together about 
the Lord. 



44 A WONDERFUL WALK. 

It is a sure sign that you really love Him, if 
thoughts about Him come welling up in your heart, 
and flow through your lips ; for ' out of the abundance 
of the heart the mouth speaketh ' (Matt. xii. 34). 
But if you never speak of Him, are you right in 
saying that you love Him ? 

Jesus always comes very close to those who speak 
of Him. We are quick to hear our names whispered 
by one schoolfellow to another ; w T e prick up our 
ears at once, and even if we do not like to show 
interest, we really are longing to hear all said 
about us. 

And the ear of Jesus is quick to catch the faintest 
whisper of His name. If a poor sinful boy or girl 
looks up with tearful eyes, saying, ' Jesus, pity me ! ' 
He hears at once. If a young Christian, blushing and 
trembling, whispers to a schoolmate in trouble, ' Trust 
Jesus/ He catches the whisper, and oh, I fancy that 
He bends over the sinner so tenderly, saying, ' I love 
thee, I pity thee ; ' and that He lays His loving hand 
on His young follower's brow, saying, £ Fear not, I am 
with thee' (Isa. xli. 10). How close He comes when 
we confess His name (Luke xii. 8). 

Another comforting thought is, that if any one wants 
to have their doubts and difficulties smoothed away, 
and to know whether Jesus is truly the Christ, the 
Son of God, it is better to go to Him for the know- 



A WONDERFUL WALK. 45 

ledge and the teaching than to any one else. No one 
in Jerusalem could have comforted Cleopas and his 
friend, or have answered their questions and relieved 
their doubts ; Jesus could do it, and did. 

Never be tempted to read books that profess to 
teach you that God's "Word is untrue, or Christ Jesus 
an unreality. Directly a doubt comes into your mind 
about Jesus, go and tell Him. Ask Him to clear it 
up. Do not harbour it for a second, but get into the 
sunlight of His presence, and then every shadow will 
pass away for ever (John xx. 28, 29). 

But very often we do not recognise Jesus and take 
comfort in His presence as we might, because we do 
not expect to see Him. He comes to us in strange 
ways, in strange forms, in strange occurrences. 

Whatever happens to you, young Christians — trials, 
temptations, death, sickness — remember they are but 
strange shapes that Jesus takes. He is hidden behind 
them all, as the sun is hidden behind the dark clouds. 
Do not miss the comfort of knowing this. He wants 
you to see Him in everything. The two disciples' eyes 
were ' holden/ because they expected to see Jesus in 
quite another form. Have you a cross to bear ? 
Jesus lies under it. Does sorrow shadow you ? Jesus 
shines through it. If you learn nothing else from the 
story of the walk to Emmaus, learn this, — 

Everywhere Jesus is with me (Matt, xxviii. 20). 



46 A WONDERFUL WALK. 

Anywhere 1 may find Him if I expect His pre- 
sence (Exod. xxxiii. 14), 

Nowhere will I go without His presence, and 
where I could not ask Him to walk side by side with 
me (Exod. xxxiii. 15). 

The best companion for any one is Jesus. With 
Him you can hold sweet converse, and learn happy 
lessons. 

The best companion for your life journey is Jesus. 
Have you asked Him to go with you yet ? 

Why do you not ? 

' Is thy life lonely ? 

Jesus is near thee. 
Is thy heart saddened 
Jesus can cheer thee. 






OUR INTERCESSOR. 47 



Twelfth Day. 



(Read John xiv. 14-18.) 

TTOW sweet to remember that Jesus ever lives to 
-"■ speak to God about us (Heb. vii. 25). What 
mighty plea do you think He uses ? His intercession 
never fails to bring us down a blessing. Why is it ? 
A little story I can tell you may help you to under- 
stand it all. 

We read, in olden time, that when Jischylus the 
Greek poet was condemned to death, his brother, who 
was an orator and a hero, was summoned to plead his 
cause. While the eyes of the audience were fastened 
on him, longing to listen to his eloquence, all were 
wondering how he would plead the guilty one's cause. 

He silently lifted up in the sight of that great 
multitude the stump of his dismembered arm, which 
he had lost in the defence of his country, and never 



48 OUR INTERCESSOR. 

said a word. The multitude burst into a shout of 
joyful applause, and his brother was pardoned. 

The dumb eloquence of that wounded arm spoke 
more powerfully than the most burning words. So 
Jesus, our great High Priest (Heb. x. 21) and our 
elder Brother (Heb. ii. 11), undertakes to plead our 
cause ; and while interceding for us in heaven, shows 
His wounded side and hands, pierced for our sakes. 
Thus He pleads more powerfully on our behalf than 
angels, or the eloquence of archangels could. Why 
should we fear to draw nigh unto God when a living 
Saviour sits at His right hand to plead His sufferings 
for us (Heb. ix. 28). Oh, let us come simply, humbly, 
lovingly, and trustfully to our heavenly Father ! Let 
us remember we may ask anything in our Saviour's 
name, certain that He is praying the Father for us, 
as our little reading teaches us (Luke xxii. 32). He 
knows all our needs and all our infirmities (Ps. ciii. 4). 
He can understand us so much better than any one 
else; and when we are down-hearted and oppressed, 
He can 'undertake for us' (Isa. xxxviii. 14). How 
sweet to know that Jesus, our Intercessor, sympa- 
thises with all the sorrows of a human heart ! ' We 
have not an High Priest that cannot be touched with 
the feeling of our infirmities ' (Heb. iv. 15). 

Oh no ; His precious promises throb with pity, and 
kindness, and love. Listen, ' Cast thy burden on the 



OUR INTERCESSOR. 49 

Lord, and He will sustain thee* (Ps. lv. 22). 'I will 
pray the Father for you' (John xiv. 16). 'I have 
loved thee with an everlasting love 1 (Jer. xxxi. 3). 
'Come unto Me' (Matt. xi. 28). Why, they sound 
just as if Jesus knew all about our fears and 
troubles. And so He does ; not a sigh, not a tear, but 
Jesus knows. He weeps with us (John xi. 35). He 
is pained when we are afflicted (Isa. lxiii. 9). Nay, 
our Intercessor ' Himself bare our infirmities, and 
carried our sicknesses' (Matt. viii. 17). Does this 
thought comfort you, dear child ? Do you like to 
know that such a sympathising Saviour loves you, 
and ever lives to intercede for you ? 

Then you will tell Him everything, and trust 
everything to His keeping, sure that ' He is able to 
keep that you have committed to Him' (2 Tim. i. 12). 

To-night, if any trouble lies heavy on you, trust 
yourself to Jesus. Commit yourself to Him, and be 
quite sure He will plead your cause with your 
heavenly Father (Ps. cxix. 154). 

'A little pilgrim on life's way, 
Bearing his cross from day to clay, 
When faint and weary used to say, 
Jesus, my Saviour, 

Thus, Lord, direct my youthful way 
Thyself to love, Thy law obey ; 
Then shall I praise through endless day 
Jesus, my Saviour.' 



so 'faithful: 



Thirteenth Day. 



'faiiljftti/ 

(Read Luke xix. 12-27.) 

T THINK this is a text which ought to bring comfort 
-*- to any boy or girl who is trying to live so as to 
please the Lord Jesus. A child's life consists of so 
many little things, and so much depends on their being 
faithful to parents and teachers in the little things of 
daily life, that the comfort of home and relations often 
rests upon it. Now, I daresay you have often wished 
that God would ask you to do some great thing to 
show how much you love Him ; I daresay there is 
not a Christian boy amongst my readers who has not 
wished to be a missionary, doing a grand work among 
the heathen for God, or some great preacher who will 
take the world by storm. 

Perhaps you long — and what a sweet tale of home 



'faithful: 51 

example that longing tells — to be Mike father/ as 
earnest, as able, as good. 

Or is there any little girl who has secretly sighed 
for her work to begin, — work in Sunday schools, classes, 
or districts, — eager to be up and doing something real, 
something great ? Yes ; but would you not think 
your parents very strange and unreasonable if they 
expected you to read German before you could distin- 
guish the letters, or to paint a beautiful picture 
when you have not even learnt the outlines of 
drawing ? 

And you must not forget that God sends His children 
to school, too, and wishes them to learn every lesson 
He sets them perfectly. Just as we give A B C and 
tiny lessons as preparation to the babies, so He sets you 
little tasks to prepare you for great ones. If you are 
'faithful' now in practising, in learning your French 
lessons or tiresome grammar, — in taking care of the little 
ones for mother, or running to do father's bidding day 
by day, — God will call you soon to do greater things 
(Matt. xxv. 21); and having found you a faithful servant 
in little things, He will put you in a place of greater 
trust, with more work to do. I want you to try and 
feel that you are daily preparing for something higher 
— that every little act of self-denial gives you power 
to yield more readily and more fully the next time 
the call to do so comes — that every 'faithful' observ- 



52 'faithful: 

ance of a little duty gives you strength for a greater 
— that everything you do for Jesus is like a little seed 
(John xv. 5), which bears fruit and again multiplies. 
If you ever keep this in mind, how bright your life 
would seem — a thousand tiny stars of hope lighting 
your daily path, and crowning you as you sleep beneath 
your Saviour's smile ! 

And God asks you to be ' faithful in that which is 
least' (Luke xvi. 10), not to be successful. You may 
have really tried your best to amuse baby for mother, 
and yet he may have been cross and troublesome 
all the time. Never mind, you were faithful, if not 
successful. 

Then those tiresome scales that you tried and 
tried in that half-hour before breakfast, and yet felt 
at the end you never could remember when the 
thumb comes upon C or F ! — well, you did your 
best; you were honestly 'faithful' though you 
did not succeed, and God knew it, and it pleased 
Him. 

Oh, if we could only remember that what God wan,ts 
is a constant looking up to Him from the things of 
our child-life or grown-up life, how sunny our hearts 
would become ! We are not made like the beasts with 
eyes that turn downward (Ps. xlix. 12), gazing ever on 
the earth ; but to look vp often, earnestly, brightly, 
to our Father and our Home above. Look then to 



* faithful: 53 

Jesus for grace to be ' faithful ' even in the very little 
things of daily life. 

'Faithful in a very little, 

Faithful you will be in all ; 
And your days will all be happy 

Whatsoever may befall, 
As you cheerfully accomplish 

Every duty each day brings, 
Seeking first to please the Master 

In life's many " little things."' 



54 FAMIL Y PR A YER. 



Fourteenth Day. 



Jfamtitr |)raiJ£r* 

(Read Deut. vi. 4-15.) 

" WONDER if you are allowed to sit up to prayers 
-*- at night, or whether you are always down to 
prayers in the morning ? You children ought to think 
so much of the privilege of joining in family prayer. 
It ought not to be a weariness, as I fear it is to so 
many. 

I cannot bear to see the lolling, listless attitudes, 
the fingers idly picking at the buttons near at hand, 
the half-suppressed yawn in the middle, which I am 
sorry to say I have seen among some boys and girls 
when assembled for family prayer ; I won't give 
their names ! 

Now you will see in the twelve verses of 
Deuteronomy that we read to-night, that love to 
God is very closely associated with the love of His 



FA MIL Y PR A YER. 5 5 

Word. Perhaps it may occur to your mind that 
father is very long over the reading, and you cannot 
follow the prayer, for you do not understand half of 
it ; but still try and recollect that God is looking at 
you (Gen. xvi. 13), and likes to see nice, quiet, 
reverent behaviour (Heb. xii. 28). If you had been 
Abraham's little boy, or Moses' little daughter, you 
would have listened day by day to the things of God 
(Gen. xviii. 19). Abraham built an altar wherever he 
went, and Moses spoke to his children when he sat in 
the house, when he watched with them by the way, 
at night before he lay down to rest, and early in the 
morning when he got up (Ps. lxiii. 1). 

Some time ago a traveller was passing through a 
very lonely part of North America ; he lost his way, 
and got benighted in the forest. As he groped about 
amid the darkness, he suddenly espied a glimmer of 
light. He followed this, and reached a poor-looking 
wooden hut. As the traveller had money and 
valuables with him, and naturally felt rather uneasy 
about it, he made up his mind not to go to bed, but 
to sit up all night by the fire watching. 

The woodman who was owner of the cottage, 
having vainly tried to get his guest to lie down for 
rest, said, — 

1 Well, sir, how you prepare for the night, I know 
not, — but we have a plan of our own/ and reaching 



56 FAMIL V PR A YER. 

down an old, well-worn Bible from the shelf, he read 
a portion, and kneeling down in prayer asked God's 
blessing on himself and guest. Then he retired to 
rest. But the traveller followed him up the stairs, 
asked for a bed, and slept soundly ; for he thought 
within himself, ' This man fears and loves God, and 
so he certainly will not harm his fellow-men/ 

He knew that a man who had family prayer must 
fear and love God, and for His sake love His fellow- 
creatures, so that he would not willingly hurt any of 
his fellow-men/ Knowing this, the traveller's fears 
were dispelled, and he felt sure of safety and 
kindness. 

Dear children, be reverent and thoughtful at family 
prayer. When you are older you will value and love 
it more than you do now, doubtless ; but until then, 
thank God you are not a child in the prayerless 
families of whom Jeremiah writes so solemnly. 

' Pour out Thy fury upon the heathen that know 
Thee not, and upon the families that call not on Thy 
name' (Jer. x. 25). 

' Sweet hour of prayer ! sweet hour of prayer ! 
That calls me from a world of care, 
And bids me at my Father's throne 
Make all my w T ants and wishes known.' 



THE KING'S VISIT. 57 



Fifteenth Day. 



(Read Acts xxiii. 1-11.) 

TTOW would you like a visit from a king ? Would 
-*—■- you be very much alarmed by it ? When our 
Queen visits her subjects, they consider it a high 
honour. 

During the late Zulu war, a soldier named Hitch 
behaved very bravely at the defence of Eorke's Drift ; 
he was badly wounded, sent home, and lay in Netley 
Hospital. The Queen went over from Osborne in the 
royal yacht to see her brave soldier, and to give him, 
as a reward for his daring, the decoration of the 
Victoria Cross, to be pinned on by her own hands. 
Did he not feel cheered and gratified by this royal visit ? 
The Queen knew he had suffered and bled in her 
cause, and showed how she appreciated his services by 
coming to see him, and comforting him. 



58 THE KINGS VISIT 

Look at Paul in prison in to-night's reading, suffering 
for his King, Jesus. 

Poor Paul had been nearly torn to pieces by an 
angry crowd ; he had only just escaped a terrible 
scourging, and this night he was f in custody ' (Acts 
xxi. 30, 31), chained to a soldier, alone, friendless, 
his enemies without the castle thirsting for his blood 
(Acts xxiii. 12), and a trial awaiting him. All this 
had come upon him, not for his own fault, but because 
he tried to tell people about his Master, and to teach 
them His way of salvation (Acts xvi. 17). It seemed 
very hard that men should hate him because he told 
them the truth, and tried to do them good. 

Did Paul's King think of His poor servant when 
he was distressed and suffering? (Acts xxiii. 11). I 
doubt not Satan tempted Paul to believe the Lord 
had forgotten him. But at night in the quiet cell, 
when Paul, perchance, lay and thought over his past 
trouble, future trial, and coming death, the Great 
King paid him a visit. He spoke kind, loving words 
to His tried apostle ; just the same words He used to 
say to poor, troubled ones when on earth. ' Be of 
good cheer/ Why ? Because He saw, no doubt, 
that Paul was cast down and discouraged, needing 
just the word of comfort He came to give. 

Dear young readers, let us be happy to-night in the 
thought that the Lord Jesus never forgets us. Many 



THE KINGS VISIT. 59 

a child-disciple has to suffer for the Master's sake. 
( He that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer 
persecution' (2 Tim. iii. 12). Some of you have had 
to bear being laughed at, perhaps being unkindly 
treated, or misrepresented, because you would not do 
things that grieved the heart of your Saviour, because 
you would not join in sinful amusements, or in under- 
hand tricks, or in cheating games. 

But when your heart is very sore within you, and 
you feel lonely and sorrowful because every one seems 
against you, even your friends and companions calling 
you ' too particular 'and ' too religious,' think of the 
dear Lord Jesus visiting Paul, and how He said, c Be 
of good cheer! Listen to the still, small, loving voice 
with which He will speak to you, and comfort your 
little wounded spirit ; and take courage, remembering 
that, though all men may forsake you, the Lord will 
stand by you, and help you (2 Tim. iv. 16). 'He will 
never leave you, nor forsake you ' (Heb. xiii. 5). That is 
just the time when Satan will seek to cast you down, 
and to persuade you it is foolish of you to try and be a 
Christian; and that you always get all the hardships, and 
other people always the best of it. Well, do not listen 
to him. Jesus knows, and He will make it all up to 
you by His presence and comfort. Just quietly go on 
trusting Him and trying to please Him, and you will 
enjoy much of His royal comfort and kingly presence. 



6o 



THE KING'S VISIT. 



How sweet to see the face of our King shining 
through the darkness of our lives ! 

But let us be very careful not to let any ' earth- 
born cloud } (as the hymn calls it) ' arise and hide us 
from our Saviour's eyes/ 

If we sin, we are sure to get out of communion with 
Jesus, and into loneliness and darkness. We are told 
in God's Word (2 Sam. xiv. 24) of a king's son called 
Absalom, who dwelt two full years in Jerusalem and 
saw not the kings face. How sad ! The young prince 
saw the king's work, his servants, his soldiers, his 
beautiful palace and gardens ; but all those two years 
he never saw the king's face. He was the king's son 
all the time, but he had disobeyed and grieved his 
kind, good father ; and it was his own fault that, as a 
punishment, he was shut out from the king's presence. 

Dear readers, we may be the great Heavenly King's 
sons and daughters (2 Cor. vi. 18); but we may be 
wilful and disobedient children, not pleasing our Father 
in thought, word, or deed, and so failing to see His 
face, and to have His royal presence with us in all 
our loneliness and trouble. Oh ! let us be like Paul, 
suffering for ' Jesus' sake only,' and therefore sure of 
a kingly visit and of a royal smile. 

1 Left alone with Jesus ! 
I need none beside ; 
With His promised Presence 
I am satisfied/ 



OUR TREASURE. 61 



Sixteenth Day. 



(But ffixtasmt. 

(Read Psalm cxix. 9-16.) 

I WAXT to tell you about a man who possessed 
-*- a treasure, and what he did with it. It was a 
wonderful treasure ; fine gold was nothing to it (Ps. 
xix. 10), it was 'better than thousands of gold and 
silver ' (Ps. cxix. 72) ; ay, better than rubies (Pro v. iii. 
15). Yes; and as one said who possessed the same 
treasure (the writer of the Psalm we read to-night), ' All 
things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.' 
That was strong language to use about his treasure. 

What was his treasure? ' Thy Word 1 (ver. 11). 
How this man delighted in it ! People who possess 
rich jewels like to take them out and admire them, 
and to show them to others. 

The miser locks his door, and in the dead of night 
counts out one by one his glittering store of gold, and 



62 OUR TREASURE. 

lovingly fingers the shining coins. Men who have 
been entrusted with precious jewels or bank notes of 
enormous value, when attacked by robbers, actually 
swallowed their treasure rather than surrender it. So 
with those who possess the treasure of God's Word : 
they love to examine and admire it ; some lying on 
sick beds night by night count the rich promises one 
by one, turn them over and over, delighting in their 
hoard; others, like a prophet of old, in time of danger 
' eat ' God's Word, and make it part of their life ( Jer. xv. 
16). Thank God for the revealed treasure of His Word ! 

You may remember that Nana Sahib, after he had 
lost his last battle in India, fell back into the jungles 
of Theri — jungles so full of deadly malaria that no 
mortal can live there. He carried with him a ruby of 
great value ; it was a treasure which many would gladly 
have possessed, and from which he would not be parted. 
He died in the jungles, his body was never found, and 
that ruby — a priceless gem — has never been discovered. 

How terrible it would have been for us if God had 
hidden the priceless treasure of His Word where man 
might search in vain for it ! 

But this c treasure ' is revealed : any seeking it may 
find it (Matt. vii. 7). 

So much for the treasure ; now about its hiding-place 
(Ps. cxix. 11). 

' Thy Word have I hid in my heart! 



OUR TREASURE. 63 

Ah, that is a safe hiding-place ! Many of us think 
it quite enough to read the verse this way : ' Thy 
Word have I hid in my memory/ Nay, nay, that will 
not do for our treasure. Depend upon it thieves will 
' break through and steal ' if we have no better hiding- 
place (Matt vi. 20). 

' When the enemy cometh in like a flood ' (Isa. lix. 
19), the promises are swept away from head and 
memory all too rapidly ; but the heart wraps the jewels 
round, and holds them in the deathless grasp of faith. 

You are a little Bible-reader, perhaps beginning this 
year as such. What is God's Word to you ? Has it 
been — is it your ' treasure ' ? Does your soul feed on 
it, feast on it, delight in it ? Are you storing it away 
— golden precept and shining promise — in the safe 
store-house of your heart ? 

Ah, we may well ask ourselves day by day, ' What 
is God's Word to me ? ' By the answer our hearts give, 
we shall know if we love Jesus ; for He says, ' He that 
hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is 
that loveth Me' (John xiv. 21). 

* Holy Bible, Book divine ! 
Precious treasure thou art mine ! 
Mine to tell me whence I came ; 
Mine to teach me what I am. 

Mine to comfort in distress ; 
Mine with promise sweet to bless ; 
Mine to show by loving faith, 
Man can triumph over death.' 



64 WATCH. 



Seventeenth Day. 



(Read Mark xiii. 28-37.) 

A SOLEMN little word, in spite of its shortness. 
-*--*- I hope many of my readers spend enough time 
every day over these carefully-selected passages to be 
able to compare Scripture with Scripture — learning, 
for example, what to watch for, whom to watch for, 
hovj to watch, and when to watch. 

As we take that little word ' watch/ and look all 
round it, the thought naturally suggests itself: 'How 
am I to watch for my Master ? ' 

Jesus Himself answers that natural question by 
pointing out to us that there are three ways of 
watching, and He illustrates each way by a short story 
or parable to help us to better understand ; for in 
the things of God we are all babies, and love word- 
pictures or parables better than dry teaching, and 
Jesus knows this. 



WATCH. 65 

In Luke xii. 36, 37, Jesus paints His first picture 
He says we must watch as the Bridegroom's friends. 
You know how we feel when expecting the arrival of 
a friend — glad, excited, eager, getting everything ready, 
listening to every sound, at every cab wheel, crying, 
1 Here they are ! ' 

Jesus wants us to watch for Him with glad hearts, 
delighted to think of His speedy arrival, eager to catch 
the first sight of His face, or to hear the roll of His 
chariot wheels, getting everything ready to welcome 
Him ; so that directly His ' knock ' comes, we may open 
to Him immediately. 

I often like to linger over that word. It seems as 
though He would have no unreadiness, no keeping Him 
on the doorstep while we run and put away anything that 
He would not like to see in life, or heart, or look ; He 
wants all in readiness (Matt. xxiv. 44). Is it so? What 
about the books you read — should you have to hide 
them if Jesus came ? Or the places you go to ? Would 
you like to be at home instead if you knew His 
1 knock ' would come to-night ? Ah ! it is a solemn 
word indeed. 

II. Watch as the armed tenant of the house (Luke 
xii. 39). Cannot some of you boys guess how your 
father would watch if he had warning that a thief was 
going to break into his house to-night ? And you — 
you might go to bed, but you would not go to sleep. 

5 



66 WATCH. 

You would have your heart beating, your eyes open, 
your ears listening to every sound. The watch kept 
in your house that night would not be one of joy, as 
for the coming of a friend, but a watch of dread and 
fear and terror, i for the thief cometh not but to steal, 
and to kill, and to destroy ' (Matt. xxiv. 43). 

What kind of watch are you keeping ? Does the 
thought of Jesus' coming dawn on you with joy or 
fear ? Judge yourself by this question, dear young 
reader. Will the coming of the Lord bring death to 
your soul and destruction to your hopes, and plans, and 
pleasures ; or will it bring new life, added joy, bright- 
ness, and beauty of the best kind to your watching 
heart? (Eev. xxii. 11, 12). 

III. Watch again as the wise worker. Here we 
get the picture (Luke vii. 42) of a person entrusted 
with his master's valuables, and having to account for 
his opportunities of using them. Those of us who 
work for Jesus are watching very quietly and trem- 
blingly for His coming, for we cannot help feeling 
the responsibility of possessing talents, time, influence, 
opportunities, and powers that are not our own, but our 
Master s, and of which we must give a strict account 
(Matt. xxv. 14). He asks us to be ' faithful and wise.' 
He does not say (and I am so glad of it !), ' Who then 
is the successful and able steward ? ' Some of us may 
never be what the world would call very successful 






WATCH. . 67 

workers, but we can all be faithful ones (Matt. xxv. 
21); and we can try to work vjisely too. 

A great deal of good work is spoilt by want of 
wisdom ; but if you and I feel we ' lack wisdom ' for 
our work, we know God's gracious promise (Jas. i. 5), 
and we can plead it before His throne. 

How are we watching? — that is the question. Is 
it with joy or fear ? and are we watching as workers 
for Him ? 

1 Watch and pray ! say children, say, 

Are you prepared for home ? 
And can you cry, with voice of joy, 
Oh come, Lord Jesus, come ? ' 



68 BEARING REPROACH. 



Eighteenth Day. 



fearing lUproacfr* 

(Read Num. xii. 11-16.) 

"11 /TIKI AM and Aaron spoke against Moses, although 
-*-*-*- he was their brother and a fellow-believer in 
the same God. Moses did not answer their unkind 
speeches (Num. xii. 3). 

Christians need never trouble to give an answer, 
for God is listening to all that is said against them 
(Num. xii. 4). He ' heard it/ and He will stand up 
for His own (Ps. xliii. 1). 

It is a wonderful thought to remember that God's 
ear was so close to Aaron and Miriam, that He heard 
every unkind word they said, and saw every envious 
thought in their hearts (Num. xii. 2) ; and He loved 
Moses so much that He could not bear him to be 
unkindly spoken of (vers. 7, 8). 

You know how indignant you feel if some other boy 



- BEARING REPROACH, 69 

makes a slighting remark about your father or mother. 
Just so does God resent unkindness to His people. 

It actually brought God down out of heaven, as we 
see by turning to the 5 th verse of this very chapter. 
Miriam had been sneering at Moses' black-skinned 
wife, and God smote her with leprosy, so that she 
became white as snow. She would willingly then 
have exchanged her awful state and colouring for that 
of poor despised Zipporah. If this evil speaking was 
considered such a sin by God then, is it not as much 
a sin now ? (1 Pet. ii. 1). 

Oh, how much harm is done by an unkind thing 
said of another Christian ! Sometimes boys and girls — 
yes, and grown-up people too, although they should 
be joined together by brotherly love as believers in 
the same Jesus — are very fond of finding fault with 
one another. 

How much they like to tell of each others little 
tempers and faults : ' Johnnie was naughty up in the 
nursery before dinner ; ' or, ' Alice would not do her 
lessons this morning, and had to be put in the corner.' 
Do you think God is pleased to hear children tell 
tales of one another ? How much evil the Lord 
Jesus could tell God about us if He chose. But the 
Lord Jesus blots out and hides our sins (Isa. xliii. 25). 
And it is Satan, tale-bearing Satan, 'who accuses us 
before God day and night' (Eev. xii. 10). Jesus says, 



70 BEARING REPROACH. 

' Think not that I will accuse you to the Father 
(John v. 45). He loves even sinners too well for 
that. 

The saddest thing of all is to hear any Christian 
boy, girl, man, or woman speak against another 
Christian, tell of some fault they have committed, or 
some inconsistency of which they have been guilty. 
There is no need to do that ; the world will find it 
out soon enough, and Satan will quickly tell God 
about it. How cunning Satan is ! He knows that 
only a diamond can cut a diamond, and that Moses, 
or you, or I care very little what the world says 
about our conduct or ways ; but we do care what our 
brothers and sisters in Christ think of us. Therefore 
he used Miriam and Aaron to hurt Moses, and he 
will try to use you to hurt other Christians. But do 
not let him. Eemember God gave you two ears so 
that you might be 'swift to hear' (Jas. i. 19), but 
only one tongue, and that shut in between teeth and 
jaws, in order that you might be ' slow to speak ' 
(Jas. i. 19). 

Let all evil speaking be put away from you (Eph. 
iv. 31). ' Speak evil of no man ' (Tit. iii. 2). * Speak 
not evil one of another, brethren' (Jas. iv. 11). 
i Laying aside all evil speakings' (1 Pet. ii. 1). An- 
other lesson for us to-night is that we must bear 
unkind remarks, as Moses bore them. First, in silence. 



BEARING REPROACH. 71 

Xot the silence of contempt, but the silence of prayer- 
ful endurance, and in silence towards God. Not going 
to God and telling Him how wicked people are to 
speak unkindly of us, but going to Him to ask Him 
to Ness them, as Moses did (Matt. v. 44). And as 
Jesus did too, praying for mercy and blessing for His 
enemies (Luke xxiii. 34); 'and leaving us an example 
that we should follow in His steps' (1 Pet. ii. 21). 

Secondly, in love. It pains us much to be spoken evil 
of by those whom we love; but remember how often the 
Lord Jesus has had to bear this (Jude 10, 16). He 
loves sinners, and He loves you and me, yet we often 
do not trust Him (which is really thinking evil of 
Him) ; and He often hears sinners speaking unkind 
things of Him, yet He loves and pardons them if they 
repent. Let us be ready and willing to forgive others, 
fighting not for ourselves, but committing our cause 
to God. 

' Dear Saviour, 1o Thy little lambs 
A lamb-like temper give ; 
And daily, hourly, grace bestow 
In joy and peace to live. 

Oh, teach us to forbear like Thee, 

Not answering again, 
Remembering how our Saviour bore 

The scoffs of wicked men.' 



72 



THOROUGH CHRISTIANS. 



Nineteenth Day. 



^Ijtfrtfttglr ©Ijristiansu 

(Read Acts xix. 13-20.) 

A LL boys and girls like to see a great bonfire ; 
-*-■*- each one would like to lay on the pile a piece 
of wood with their own hands. In to-night's portion 
you read of a most wonderful bonfire ; and of what 
do you think it was composed ? Of books. 

I think I hear you say, ' A very good thing too ; I 
wish our tiresome old Latin grammars and German 
dictionaries were all in a blaze ! ' Ah, but we must 
inquire a little into the reason why the Ephesians 
burned these books, and what kind of books they 
were, before we think of imitating their example. 
Perhaps these were bad books — better destroyed than 
preserved, and so would be very unlike your much 
despised grammars, dictionaries, and arithmetics. 

A terrible thing had happened at Ephesus, and 
many mighty wonders had been done there by Paul — 



THOROUGH CHRISTIANS. 73 

cures of sick, and the testimony of devils given to 
him (ver. 15). There were many people in Ephesus 
who believed in the Lord Jesus, but they had not 
quite made up their minds to give up everything that 
displeased Him. They had all these bad books about 
magic and foolish, wicked tricks ; and although they 
knew the Lord Jesus would not like His followers 
to read them, or to practise these arts, they had not 
loved Him quite enough hitherto to determine upon 
giving them up. Now they began to feel they must 
do so — that they could not hold Christ with one hand, 
and sin with the other ; they must hold Christ tightly 
with both hands if they wanted to be safe and happy, 
and to really serve Him as Master (Matt. vi. 24). 

Could they not have sold these books and used the 
money ? Ah ! but that would not have been a real 
giving up ; and, besides, supposing the books had 
harmed other people ? Much better to get rid of 
them altogether. So they all met, these Ephesian 
Christians, and they made a great bonfire, not on 
some far-off hill-top or in some lonely field, but right 
in the middle of the town, w T here it could be seen by 
'all men ' (ver. 19). I do not think any bonfire ever 
cost as much as this one, for on counting the price 
they found it was 50,000 pieces of silver, or about 
£1875! (ver. 19). 

What lesson does this teach you and me ? Firstly, 



74 THOROUGH CHRISTIANS. 

that sooner or later, if we are, real Christians, we 
must be ready to give up everything to follow and 
please our Saviour (Luke xiv. 33). Boys and girls, 
you know this, yet perhaps you are clinging still to 
some sin, bad habit, indulging in reading foolish, hurtful 
books, liking bad companions who draw you away from 
God's ways. Oh ! be Ephesian Christians and out and 
out for Jesus ; never mind what it may and must cost 
you. These people did not care ; they did not mind 
who saw and laughed at them ; neither should you. 

Determine from to-night, by the grace of God, to 
keep nothing, to do or say nothing that is not pleasing 
to the Lord Jesus (2 Cor. x. 5). 

You cannot give up these things in your own 
strength, I know ; but the Lord wants you to be a 
thorough Christian, and to follow Him fully (Num. 
xiv. 24), and will most certainly help you to be one if 
you ask Him. When you begin the bonfire, do not 
spare anything ; pile on it all that you can find in 
your heart and life contrary to the Word of God, and 
the will of your beloved Saviour (1 Pet. iii. 17). 

♦Oh ! what shall we gain if the cross we take, 
And deny ourselves for the Master's sake. 
Oh ! what shall we gain, if our all we give 
To be His alone, and for Him to live. 

A bright reward in the world to come, 
A crown of life and a glorious home ; 
A welcome smile from our dearest Friend, 
A feast of love that shall never end.' 



JESUS OUR LIGHT. 75 



Twentieth Day. 



(Read Exod. x. 21-26.) 

TTTHAT a pleasant thing is light ! Sunlight in our 
' * houses and sunlight in our hearts combined is 
enough to make us very happy. I want you ; children, 
to learn the way to get this happiness, and to rejoice in 
the light which is so ready to shine around you. Jesus 
is the Light of the World (John ix. 5), and the Light 
of His people (John i. 9). When He takes up His 
abode in our hearts, and cheers us by His Presence, 
surely then it may be said of us, as of these Israelites 
in Goshen, that we have 'light in our dwellings' 
(ver. 23). 

Xow we must be very careful not to let any cloud 
come between us and our Light. When the bright 
sun shines into your window, and would gild your 
room, it is your own fault if you pull down the blind 



76 JRS US OUR LIGHT. 

and bring darkness where light should be. In our 
well-known hymn, we sing, — 

1 Oh ! may no earth-born cloud arise 
To hide Thee from Thy servant's eyes.' 

All the dimness that may come at any time between 
your heart and your Saviour is of your own making, 
not of His. It is a grand thing to live day by day 
with no cloud between us and our ' Sun of Kighteous- 
ness ' (Mai. iv. 2) ; and a grand thing to die with 
His full light beaming on us. 

I remember reading of a young officer in an American 
regiment who was brought into hospital, being wounded 
in the shoulder. 

At first it was thought he would recover, but after 
a few days all hope was given up. 

Just before his death, a lady nurse said to him : 
' Lieutenant, you have but a few moments to live ; if 
you have any word to send to your wife and little 
ones, you must speak it very quickly/ 

He looked up at her, his face shining like an angel's, 
and said : ' Tell my wife there is not a cloud between me 
and Jesus.' 

Happy man ! to be able truly to say this. Now 
if you want to die in ' cloudless ' peace, you must 
learn to live so. Sin is a dark cloud (Isa. xliv. 22); 
therefore let no sin come between your soul and 
Jesus : doubt is a great black shadow ; never let 



JESUS OUR LIGHT. 77 

it dim your faith. Ask Jesus, your Saviour, to let 
nothing come between you and Him ; to teach you 
to look steadfastly and trustingly into His radiant 
face ; to be ever and always ' looking unto Jesus ' 
(Heb. xii 2). 

* Looking unto Jesus 

First of all for peace, 
For the bright assurance 

That my tears may cease; 
With the happy knowledge 

That I am forgiven, 
That God is my Father, 

And my home is heaven. 



78 'THY RESTS 



Twenty-first Day. 



(Read Psalm cxvi. 4-9.) 

TT is a very pleasant thing to rest, but only pleasant 
-*- when we are tired. The man who has been 
walking all day is glad to get home to take off coat 
and boots, and find a comfortable chair for weary 
limbs. The boy who has had to carry a heavy load 
half the day is not sorry when bed-time comes, for 
with night he gets rest. The poor, tired horses in 
our busy streets must indeed, long for and enjoy the 
short rest they are permitted to take ere morning 
breaks, and toil begins again. 

So we must feel our need of rest before we shall value 
it. I am sure you would not like to go to bed or lie on 
a sofa directly you had got up, and felt fresh and ready 
for either work or play; or to rest if you were not weary. 

Now in this Psalm David wants his soul to c return 
unto its rest/ Can souls feel tired ? Can any of my 
young readers answer that question ? David's soul 



■ THY REST: 79 

must have been weary, or it would not have wanted rest. 
But do our souls carry heavy loads or have hard, tiring 
work to do, like our bodies ? Yes, indeed ; for does not 
Jesus say, ' Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are 
heavy laden, and I will give you rest* (Matt. xi. 28). 

Dear children, every soul that is born has a heavy 
load upon it — a load of sin ; and every day we live 
the load gets heavier. See how David cried, ' Mine 
iniquities have gone over my head, as a heavy burden 
they are too heavy for me ' (Ps. xxxviii. 4). 

But the strange thing is that so many have a very 
heavy load of sin upon their souls, and do not care to 
have it taken off. Surely they would not be so cruel 
to anybody or anything as to their own souls. 

If they saw even a horse under a terrible load, 
much too great for its strength, they would try to 
relieve it of its burden ; but when their own souls, or 
other people's, are groaning and suffering under the 
load of sin, and rest is offered to them, they do not 
trouble themselves about it. 

David knew of a rest for souls. His soul had 
evidently found it, and wandered away from it again ; 
for he says, 'Return unto thy rest' (ver. 7); and we 
can only return to a place which we have left. The 
Lord Jesus says, 'I will give you rest' (Matt. xi. 28); 
but before He gives that promise He makes a condition, 
and the condition is that we should come to Him. 



8o 



, thy rest: 



Many people when they feel the burden of sin go 
to prayer -meetings and services for rest ; some foolish 
people try to find it at gay parties or amusements ; 
some go to their teachers, and say, ' How shall I get 
rid of my sin ? ' but that is not the right way. Jesus 
says, ' Come unto Me ' (John vii. 37). 

How are we to come ? If you heard your mother s 
voice calling, ' Come to me/ you would first find out 
where she was, and then go to her, would you not ? 
Where is Jesus ? Jesus is everywhere (Ps. cxxxix. 7, 
lxxxix. 10). Jesus is in the room with you, so you 
have only to answer His call — to say, — 

' Here I am, Lord ; I come ; oh ! give me rest for 
my poor weary soul ; ' and He will give it. 

But you must come. No one else can come for you. 
Your own voice must answer Jesus ; your own heart 
must ask Him to give you His rest. He only 
promises it to those who come. 

Have you ever been to Jesus ? Why don't you 
come now ? (2 Cor. vi. 2). 

' I heard the voice ot Jesus say, 

"Come unto Me, and rest; 
Lay down, thou weary one, lay down, 

Thy head upon My breast." 
I came to Jesus as I was, 

Weary and worn and sad ; 
I found in Him a resting-place, 

And He has made me glad.' 



THE GIFT OF GOD. 81 



Twenty-second Day. 



€\}t (Biit 0f (Bob. 

- (Read John iv. 5-15.) 

OOME people are too proud to care about accepting 
^ gifts. But few children are amongst this proud- 
hearted class ; for children love presents of every 
description, and at any time of the year. 

We generally like to make some return to a kind 
giver. I have lain awake half a night trying to think 
of some return to make for a friend's trifling present. 

And to many minds the idea of the ' Gift of God ! 
being free, and requiring nothing in repayment, is so 
strange that they are long before they can take Jesus 
and the gift of salvation (Eom. vi. 23), and consent to 
be saved for nothing. 

Why should God give us anything, and what does 
He give us? John iii. 16 tells us why He gave 
' His only-begotten Son/ It was because ' He so 

6 



82 



THE GIFT OF GOD. 



loved the world.' We also learn that the ' Gift of 
God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord* 
(Eom. vi. 23). So we soon find out why He gave, 
and what He gave. 

You may not know that in Eastern countries it is 
the custom for inferiors to approach a superior with 
a gift of some kind or another, so that one beneath you 
would not come to ask you a favour without bring- 
ing in his hand a present, however trifling. You 
find Saul would not go to ask Samuel about his 
father's asses without taking some gift (1 Sam. ix. 7, 
8). Jacob sent a gift before him to Esau (Gen. xxxii. 
13); and Abigail to David (1 Sam. xxv. 18). And in 
Proverbs xviii. 16, we read: 'A man's gift maketh 
room for him, and bringeth him before great men.' 

We ought, as receivers and inferiors, to come to 
God with gifts ; but, oh ! the very costliest we could 
bring would be useless in turning away the just anger 
of our holy God (Micah vi. 7). And is it not wonder- 
ful to find that He comes to us in the position of one 
seeking our favour, offering us a gift, ' eternal life.' 
Why should we refuse ? The poor heathen take their 
children and offer them in terror to their fierce gods 
of wood and stone. Our great and loving God gave 
His only-begotten Son to die for us (Rom. viii. 34), 
that we might learn to love Him, and be saved through 
Him. In reading the 10 th verse of John iv., we 



THE GIFT OF GOD. S3 

notice that Jesus said, immediately the woman asked 
for living water, He would give it. 

There was nothing between her and the gift of God, 
but simple asking ; and there is nothing between you 
and eternal life but simple asking. Do ask Him 
to-night. Do take the precious gift. Do take Christ 
as your Saviour, and look up thankfully to God, saying, 
' I have eternal life.' ' Ask, and it shall be given you ' 
(Matt. vii. 7). 

God says you have only to take this gift ; for we 
read in Rev. xxii. 17 (the last beautiful invitation of 
the Bible), ' "Whosoever will, let him take the water of 
life freely.' Just as you joyfully stretch out your hand 
and accept any gift offered you by kind parents and 
friends with a glad, grateful 'thank you!' bursting 
from heart and lip, so take God's gift of a precious 
Saviour, of a wonderful pardon ; of joy here, and life 
eternal hereafter, crying, ' Father, I thank Thee with 
all my heart. Teach me to show forth my thanks, 
not only with my lips, but in my life.' 

I am asking, dear Lord, for Thy pardon, 

For years spent in folly and sin ; 
!N"o longer my heart would I harden, 

But welcome Thee gladly within. 

I am asking for strength to meet trial, 

Or sorrow, if such be Thy will ; 
For grace, lest I fall by denial, 

Or fail Thy commands to fulfil. ' 



84 'ALIVE OR DEADV 



Twenty-third Day. 



(Read John xi. 30-46.) 

"TTTE read of three people raised from death by 
* * Jesus. Do you remember who they were ? 

A little girl only just dead, still pink and warm, 
and with a smile on her parted lips, of whom some 
said she was not really dead, but sleeping or lying in 
a trance ; and many might fancy the great miracle of 
her resurrection . resolved itself into nothing after all 
(Luke viii. 54). 

So Jesus did greater things still to convince 
doubters (Luke vii. 14, 15). 

A young man, dead probably one day, or a day and 
a half, actually on his way to be buried, was raised to 
life ; would not that satisfy unbelieving hearts ? No — 
no ! 

Here again, say men, that might be some mistake ; 



1 ALIVE OR DEAD?' 85 

his friends might have thought him dead, even his 
fond mother have been deceived ; his spirit may never 
have left the body, and the miracle be but clever 
doctoring after all. So Jesus went a step farther 
(John xi. 43, 44). Lazarus was dead, Lazarus was 
buried, Lazarus was four days in the grave ! No 
doubt now could be felt as to the truth of the great 
work that the Lord Jesus did in raising the dead to 
life. Then unbelieving men said they would- kill 
Him, because they could not find fault with His 
work. One poor lost sinner had asked that a Lazarus 
(Luke xvi. 24) might be sent from the dead to warn 
his ungodly brothers, and Abraham said it would be 
quite useless. How true this was ! A Lazarus rose 
and testified. Instead of believing his testimony, 
men only sought his death (John xii. 10). 

I think the Lord Jesus meant to teach us another 
lesson here. You, dear children, are young ; and if 
still unconverted, you are like the little girl only just 
dead. People can hardly think you are dead in 
trespasses and sins (Eph. ii. 1), you look so much 
like life — you may be asleep and want rousing, they 
say ; but surely you must be little Christians, surely 
your heart must be right with God. You are good 
and amiable, kind and religious. Can you he dead ? 
Yes — yes ! As dead in God's sight as the veriest 
sinner. 



86 ■ ALI VE OR DEAD ? ' 

Indeed you are. It is a solemn fact that the most 
amiable child, the most irreproachable boy or girl, the 
child of prayers and tears and Christian counsels, needs 
personal contact with a living Saviour as much as ever 
Jairus' just dead daughter did. Your parents may 
seek Him, and ask Him. to come to you ; but there 
must be contact between the Living One and the dead, 
if life is ever to be the result. 

When, again, we find one older in years, like the 
young man, farther gone in sin, ' dead/ w r e find he 
too needs Jesus. He must hear that voice saying, 
'Hear, and your soul shall live' (John v. 25). 

Ah ! the older we grow, the less chance we have 
of meeting Jesus. He comes to us in early youth, to 
our own dear homes, brought by our parents' prayers ; 
but when we grow older, and get away from home 
influence, it is often only a meeting with Jesus 
'outside the city' (Luke vii. 12). His path crosses 
ours, and His loving pity yearns to save us. He bids 
us 'Arise' (Isa. lx. 1). Take care you do not miss 
Him ! It is a terrible thing only just to meet Jesus, 
to have been so nearly lost, and so near the burying- 
ground of every hope, as the young man met outside 
the city of Nain. 

But think of Lazarus ! Surely he pictures to us 
those deepest dyed in sin. He was dead, buried, and 
corrupt ! How wonderful to see the grace of Jesus 






'ALIVE OR DEAD?' 87 

reaching to the lowest (Heb. vii. 25). None need 
despair, since from the very place of corruption a man 
was raised to life and purity. 

You may be 'twice dead' (Jude 12). You may 
have sinned worse than any before you, yet through 
the heavy gates of spiritual death, Christ's living voice 
can penetrate, and bring you life again (John xi. 44). 
What a Saviour we have ! How strong and mighty 
(Ps. lxxxix. 19). We can seek Him for ourselves, or 
for our friends, just as we feel the need. 

' Once I was dead in sin, 

And hope within me died ; 
But now I'm dead to sin, 

With Jesus crucified. 
Oh ! can it be that He loved me, 
And gave Himself for me 1 



88 TRUSTING GOD, 



Twenty-fourth Day. 



(Read Gen. ix. 1-17.) 

TTAYE you ever remarked how often in His Word 
-■--■- God says, ' Fear not ' ? We find these two 
words no less than forty times in the Bible, and 
they were constantly on the lips of Jesus when on 
earth, spoken kindly to poor, sinful men (Luke xii. 
32). Why? surely we are all of us full of fear, 
because we are full of sin ; and even when we are 
sure that our sins are washed away, and God is loving 
to us-ward, we have a great deal of fear in our timid 
hearts. If we are not forgiven, we do well to fear ; 
we have every reason to be afraid. We ought never 
to cease trembling (Acts xxiv. 25) until we come to 
Jesus, and then trembling ceases, and trusting begins. 

In the 2nd, 5th, and 11th verses of the 9th 
chapter of Genesis, chosen for our evening reading, 






TRUSTING GOD. 89 

you will find three very natural ' fears ' that crept 
into the heart of Noah and his sons, even after they 
had been saved in that wonderful ark from the great 
and terrible flood (2 Pet. ii. 5). 

I am sure the first ' fear ' was one every little girl 
and boy would have had too — a fear of the fierce 
beasts of the earth. There were so many ; and a 
great miracle it was that Noah and his sons were not 
devoured by them whilst in the ark. See how 
lovingly God quiets this ' fear/ He promises that, 
however great the number of animals might be, they 
should always fear man, and dread his power (Gen. 
ix. 2). Was not that a comfort to them ? 

Then came their second ' fear.' They were terribly 
afraid of each other. And well they might be. Man 
had been so w T icked, and there had been so much 
murder and violence in the earth before the Flood 
(Gen. vi. 5), we need not wonder they dreaded a 
recurrence of those scenes. They could remember the 
story of Cain murdering Abel (Gen. iv. 8), and even 
though they were brothers, fear filled their hearts lest 
Satan should tempt them to quarrel with each other, 
which might end in bloodshed. 

God tells them in solemn words that He will be 
the avenger of such sins ; that He counts the hair 
of our heads (Matt. x. 30), and the days of our life 
(Job xiv. 5). So He told those men long ago if 



90 TRUSTING GOD. 

one was killed He would require it of his brother 
(Gen. ix. 5). 

What was the last e fear ' ? Again, a natural one 
The great flood had passed away, they had been saved 
from it once, to be sure ; but who could tell when 
another might come ? And what could assure them 
of safety then? Ah! children, God is very, very 
pitiful, and He pities our fears, and soothes them as 
a mother soothes her baby's terrors (Isa. lxvi. 13). 
The beautiful rainbow was set in the cloud, and a 
solemn promise given to man that no flood should 
again destroy the earth or its people (Gen. ix. 15). 
Now, were not all these gracious promises very com- 
forting to Noah and his sons ? 

Yes, if they believed them. Ah ! therein lies the 
secret. That is what is meant by trusting God. 
When we believe God's promises, fear forsakes our 
hearts, trust steps in, and we have rest, joy, and peace. 
Noah might have had all the promises, and yet been 
a miserable man if he had doubted God's Word, 
and lived in constant fear of one evil or another 
overtaking him. He might have been a doubting 
saint. I hope no little child who reads this is doubt- 
ing God's promises. If you have come to Jesus for 
pardon for your sins, you surely are not doubting that 
He has forgiven you ? 

Bead His promise (1 John ii. 12). If He has 






TRUSTING GOD, 91 

promised to keep you from falling, you cannot, cannot 
be doubting that He will give you grace to overcome 
sin? (Jude 2-4). No; He says to you, 'Fear not;' 
and you will trust Him to save and keep you, will 
you not ? 

' God will take care of you — yes, to the end, 
Nothing can alter His love for His own ; 
Children, be glad that you have such a Friend, 
He will not leave you one moment alone.' 



92 'FROM THE ROOT UP: 



Twenty-fifth Day. 



4 y tarn tht 2&00t up/ 

(Read Mark xi. 12-26.) 

DAEESAY you have often read the story of the 
-*~ barren fig-tree, and learnt many a helpful lesson 
from it. There is one I want to bring before you 
to-night very specially. 

Have you ever noticed the strange way in which 
the fig-tree perished ? Did the topmost boughs and 
farthest branches begin to wither gradually, and did 
the tree die slowly downwards ? No ; the curious 
thing about its death was, that it perished from the 
root up — complete destruction ! Two lessons, one 
solemn, the other comforting, we learn from this. 

Firstly, Every one by nature is like this barren fig- 
tree, utterly condemned and worthless (Eph. ii. 3). 
There is nothing before every sinner, great or small, 
but destruction and death (Ezek. xxiii. 23, 27). The 



'FROM THE ROOT UP: 93 

Lord Jesus did not bid the barren fig-tree bear fruit, 
or tie fruit to its branches here or there under the 
leaves to make it look like a good and fruitful tree. 
So He does not bid an unconverted child improve, 
or get better in any way, and then call it one of His 
1 trees of righteousness ' (Isa. lxi. 3). Your old self is 
condemned, root and branch, fit for nothing ; God 
wants none of it. He wants you to be altogether new 
— a 'new creature in Christ Jesus' (2 Cor. v. 17). 

Have any of you been feeling that you are just like 
a barren tree, bringing forth no fruit for Jesus (John 
xv. 4), fair enough outside perhaps, but feeling all 
the time that if Jesus came by and lifted up the 
covering leaves His eye would see nothing that He 
ought to see ? And have you tried (and tried so 
hard) to be fruitful, to be like a Christian, and knew 
all the time how hopeless it seemed ? I have comfort 
for you. Give up trying to be better, despair of 
yourself altogether, and come to Jesus to be made 
'altogether new' (Eev. xxi. 5). Let Him take you 
and re-create your heart, putting His Spirit within 
you, to enable you to bring forth ' the fruits of the 
Spirit' (Gal. v. 22). 

Let condemned self alone — a cursed thing, lifeless 
and death-doomed — and put yourself under the power 
of Jesus, as 'clay in the hands of the potter' 
(Jer. xviii. 4). 



94 



'FROM THE ROOT UP.' 



Now, secondly, there is comfort for every little 
child that is one of Christ's followers. You have a 
bad temper, a vain heart, a little tongue, perhaps, that 
talks in a very un- Christlike way sometimes — many, 
many sins that trouble your heart, and you long to be 
rid of them. You thought by cutting off the boughs 
of this tree of evil to kill it ; you thought by striking 
it here and there to wound it unto death; but it grew 
again, it had a terrible vitality ; and you feel ready to 
despair as you think how hopeless it seems. Oh, dear 
child ! there is only one way to cure a sin. It is no 
use for you to try and reform yourself. Jesus must 
look upon that sin, ' For He shall save His people from 
their sins' (Matt. i. 21) ; and at His look it will wither 
from the root up (Mark xi. 20). 

Come to Jesus, say to Him, ' Lord I cannot, but 
Thou canst ; look upon my dreadful temper, my 
troublesome tongue, and give me the power to over- 
come my sin ; bid it wither from the root up.' Do 
you expect Jesus to do it ? I know He will. He 
is Almighty (Gen. xvii. 1), and can overcome a sin 
that your little struggle would never succeed in 
defeating ; you have only to tell Him how helpless 
you are, and to trust Him to do it for you (Isa. 
xxxviii. 14). 

The ugly stump may remain as a warning to you, 
but it will be a withered stump. The great roots 



'FROM THE ROOT UP: 95 

of pride and sinfulness are always there, but the word 
of Jesus can take the sap and life out of them. 

Won't you try what trust in the living, mighty 
power of Jesus will do for you ? Trust Him to 
save and renew you, trust Him to conquer your 
sin (Bom. vi. 14). 

* Our hearts, by nature full of sin, 

Do Thou, Lord, renew, 
And take each naughty thought away, 

And all self-will subdue; 
Thine own meek, lowly mind impart 

Thy Spirit like a dove, 
And daily may we learn of Thee, 

As Thou hast loved, to love.' 



96 THE WA Y OF SAL VA TION. 



Twenty-sixth Day. 



(Read Acts xvi. 14-24.) 

1 TTOW can we know the way ? ' is a question put 
~ LJ ~ by Thomas to Jesus (John xiv. 5), and the 
answer was very sure and simple, i I am the Way ' 
(John xiv. 6). 

Even though Jesus stands and cries, ' I am the 
Way, no man cometh unto the Father but by Me/ 
there are many still who do not yet know the Way 
of Salvation ! It is a very important thing that we 
should know the way of salvation. In an unknown 
country or in a strange town we often have to trust 
to other people to show us the way to our destination. 

' Tell me, please, which road I shall take to Ports- 
mouth ? ' said a young man to me one day, pausing 
at a place where two roads puzzled him. 

* Take the road to the right/ I answered ; ' you 



THE WA Y OF SAL VA TION. 97 

would be going altogether wrong if you took the other 
turning — you would be quite out of the way/ 

1 Thank you/ he replied ; and took the shady, 
pleasant road that I had pointed out. 

Children often stop a stranger and ask the way. 
Older people sometimes get the map of an unknown 
neighbourhood, and find out their way, asking, as they 
journey on, if they are going right. Is it not a good 
thing that God has not left us in ignorance of the 
way to heaven ? The greatest journey we ever 
undertook is the journey from the cradle to the 
grave, and from the grave to heaven. Life is like a 
strange country to us, and although c Heaven is our 
Fatherland, Heaven is our home/ we are ' strangers 
and pilgrims' (1 Pet. ii. 11), and need guidance and 
direction (Ps. xxxii. 8). 

But we can ask God to show us the way. He is 
so kind that He is willing to answer the questionings 
of a little child. He loves us to cry, ' My Father, 
Thou art the guide of my youth ' (Jer. iii. 4), and He 
sends His messengers to show us the right path lest we 
should stray. 

Most of our teachers and our Christian friends are 
His messengers and His guides. His Holy Spirit 
whispers in our ears, ' This is the way, walk ye in 
it' (Tsa. xxx. 21). But God gives us also the map 
or directory of His Holy Word, which we may study 

7 



98 THE WAY OF SALVATION. 

day by day, and as we study, pray, ' Teach me Thy 
way, Lord; show me Thy paths' (Ps. lxxxvi. 11); 
so that you see we cannot fail to find it. What is 
the Way of Salvation ? 

You have heard the Lord's answer to Thomas, as 
He gently said, ' I am the Way.' He is not only the 
Way to Heaven, but the ' Way of Salvation/ Yes, 
for there is salvation in no other, ' neither is there any 
other name under heaven, given among men, whereby 
we must be saved' (Acts iv. 12). 

He is a plain Way. A little child can come to 
God by Jesus ; and walk safely through life holding 
the hand of Jesus. 

He is a safe Way. For none can harm those hiding 
in Him, and 'no man can pluck them out of His 
hand' (John x. 28). 

He is the only Way. For He says, 'No man 
cometh unto the Father but by Me ' (John xiv. 6). 

Is He your Way ? for, after all, that is the 
important question. 

Are you travelling on heavenward with your hand 
in the hand of Jesus ? 

1 One only door of heaven 

Stands open wide to-day, 
One sacrifice is given, 
"Tis Christ, the Living Way!' 



THE PRINCE OF LIFE: 99 



Twenty-seventh Day. 



4 ®h* frittr* ai %ih: 

(Read Acts iii. 12-18.) 

rflHIS is one of the many names of our Lord Jesus. 
-*- He has many, many precious names. The great 
princes of this earth are proud of having many titles, 
so our great ' Prince of Life ' has many describing His 
power, love, and grandeur. But by and by He will 
only have one (Zech. xiv. 9). 

Do you not wonder which He will choose out of 
all belonging to Him ? 

He is the ' Prince of Life/ How many lives have 
you ? One, you will say. True, but you have four 
kinds of life wrapped up in one, just as you have five 
fingers on your hand, and yet it is only one hand. 
As we consider this fourfold life, you will see that 
Jesus is the Prince of each and all. 

1. Bodily Life. — Your little body, so curiously and 



ioo 'THE PRINCE OF LIFE: 

beautifully made, that hand of yaurs so wonderful in 
its power and structure, who made it ? Christ Jesus 
(Fleb. i. 2 ; 1 Cor. viii. 6; Col. i. 16). He not only 
made you, but keeps you alive every moment. So 
He has a right to claim you as His own, to call 
Himself your Prince. Do you treat Him as your 
King, give Him love and obedience, and honour His 
command above all things ? (Deut. vi. 5). 

2. Mental Life. — Animals have bodily life, for 
Jesus gave it to them ; but they have not mind and 
brain as you and I have. We can reason, and think, 
and plan; we can study and speculate. Who en- 
ables us to do this ? The Lord Jesus ! He can, 
in a moment, take away our reason, or He could 
permit us to enter this world like those poor little 
idiots you often see ; but He has not. He has given 
to you and me mental life, and we should thank 
Him for it, and use our minds to think about Him, 
and to study His love and goodness (Luke x. 27). 

3. Spiritual Life. — If we have only bodies and 
minds, we have but little ! It would be like a living 
case for a dead soul, reminding us of the white, 
shining sepulchres that were full of dead men's bones 
inside ; or like the Dead Sea apple, red, ripe, and 
juicy to look at, which when opened is full of rotten- 
ness and dust. 

Is your body but the beautiful casing of a poor, 



. < THE PRINCE OF LIFE: loi 

little dead soul — 'dead in trespasses and sins'? 
(Eph. ii. 1). 

No one but Jesus can bring a dead body to life, 
and certainly no one but He could quicken a dead 
soul. He speaks to you and me as He did to a dead 
one long ago (John xi. 43, 44), and our hearts wake 
up from their long, cold sleep, and begin to beat with 
new life, new love, new motives. 

He is the Prince of spiritual life. He gives it, and 
He keeps it safely for us. We put our money into 
banks and safes ; we are afraid robbers may come and 
take it from us. Satan, the great robber, would steal 
away our soul-life if it were not hid in Jesus (Col iii. 
3). Adam and Eve had life to keep at first by their 
own care and obedience, but the devil came and 
robbed them (Gen. iii. 3, 4). Now we give it to 
Jesus to keep for us, and we are quite safe, for Satan 
can never pluck anything out of His hand (John x. 
28). 

4. So now we come to Eternal Life — for the happi- 
ness of having spiritual life consists in possessing it 
for ever ! Spiritual life is the beginning of eternal 
life, like the weak and tender bud which becomes by 
and by the full-blown flower, or the tiny mountain 
rill which widens into the mighty river. How do we 
get life eternal ? I daresay you can tell me ; a text 
(John xvii. 3) will tell you. To know Jesus, to see 



102 ■ THE PRINCE OF LIFE: 

Jesus, is the way to obtain it. Christ is this life 
(Col. iii. 4). He bought it, He gives it (Eom. vi. 23), 
He keeps it. We could not have earned it. Jesus 
is the Prince of Life, and He gives, like a King, right 
royally. 

Now, having seen the four kinds of life, do you 
think you possess them all ? If you have only the 
first two, you are like the living case holding the 
dead soul ! Do you desire to obtain the last two ? 
Oh, then come to the One who gave you bodily and 
mental life ! — to the mighty Prince who has His 
hands full of rich gifts, and ask Him to make you 
complete ; for, like a half - finished watch, you need 
completion, and the Hand that made you must set 
you in motion and keep you so. Jesus came to give 
you life, for He says, ' I am come that they might 
have life, and that they might have it more abun- 
dantly ' (John x. 10) ; but you must go to Him for it. 
He says, 'Come unto Me' (Matt. xi. 28); and you 
must go. No one else can go for you, each must 
receive for himself or herself. Come to Jesus, then ; 
and as the little hymn says, ' Come now ! ' 

' Come to Jesus ! come away, 
O ! heed His voice, do not delay ; 
But let Him give thee Life to-day, 
! little sinner, come/ 



THE GREAT FEAST. 103 



Twenty-eighth Day. 



%\it (&xtat JF^ast 

(Read John xii. 1-9.) 

SOMEBODY had made a great feast for the Lord 
^ Jesus. Who was it ? 

In another Gospel we find his name mentioned, and 
something told us of him. 

It was Simon the leper (Matt. xxvi. 6). A leper 
entertaining guests ! Usually the leper was driven 
away from house and friends, and lived only in the 
wilderness, crying when any drew near, ' Unclean ! 
unclean ! ' (Lev. xiii. 45). Yes; but Simon was a 
healed leper, and the Lord Jesus was his healer. In 
his love and gratitude, Simon makes a great supper, 
and invites Jesus to it. His house had once been 
shunned as a leprous house ; he himself had been 
sick unto death ; but Jesus had changed all this, and 
brought light and joy to his home and heart. That 



104 THE GREAT FEAST. 

is what Jesus always does to those who welcome, 
His presence, and invite Him to be their guest (Eev. 
iii. 19, 20). 

Who was at the feast ? Lazarus was there (John 
xii. 2). How strange ! A man who had been dead 
and buried four days in a tomb, now feasting with the 
Mighty One who had brought him back to life ! This 
is the picture of a great truth at which I want you to 
look. 

For, when Jesus brings dead souls to life, they live 
in joy and happiness, they feast with Him, and He 
with them (Matt. xxii. 4) ; and after their bodies die, 
and He raises them from the dead, they sit down with 
Him to the glorious marriage-supper of the Lamb ! 
(Eev. xix. 7). 

We find Martha was also there ' serving/ as she 
always seemed to do (Luke x. 40). 

People often say ' Martha busied herself in serving 
Jesus when she might have been doing something 
better;' but she filled a lowly place, and a blessed 
place, when she took the very place the Lord Jesus 
filled, namely, that of a servant (Phil. ii. 7). He said, 
i I am among you as he that serveth ' (Luke xxii. 27) ; 
and in the next chapter (John xiii.), we find Him 
washing the disciples' feet, as the servant of sinners. 

Mary was there, and she was neither feasting nor 
serving ; but her love to the Lord prompted her to 



THE GREAT FEAST, 105 

anoint His feet (John xii. 3). And she was the only 
one that He noticed; He did not speak of Simon, 
Lazarus, Martha, or the other guests, but He marked 
and praised Mary. Why ? Because her action 
showed love, and Jesus values our love above every- 
thing (Prov. xxiii. 26). We may give Him all our 
possessions, we may serve Him in any way we think 
best, but unless we love Him, He values none of it 
(1 Cor. xiii. 3). 

We find out from the story of this feast, four ways 
of pleasing the Lord Jesus. 

Firstly, by letting Him heal us of our sin and 
leprosy ; then, by giving Him our best, like Simon 
(2 Cor. viii. 5). 

Secondly, as Lazarus did, by sitting with Him 
(John xii. 2), and holding sweet communion with 
Him. 

Thirdly, by ministering to Him in temporal things 
in the person of His poor (Matt. xxv. 40), and serving 
others for His sake. 

Lastly and chiefly, by loving Him, loving Him with 
all our hearts, and giving Him of our very best. 
' Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart ' 
(Deut. vi. 5). 

That is the lesson we learn from to-day's reading. 
Let us ask ourselves to-night if we really love Him, 
and if we could, like Mary, fall at His feet and give 



io6 



THE GREAT FEAST. 



Him all our hearts, our lives, our love ? crying, ' Yea 
let Him take all 7 (2 Sam. xix. 30). 

1 ' Ready to give to Jesus " 

My life, my love, my ALL, 

my heart, alert and eager, 

Hears His sweet and welcome call. 
Never a thing withholding 

That He stoops to ask of me, 
Giving my choicest treasures 

With a glad heart willingly.' 



CALLED OF GOD. icj 



Twenty-ninth Day. 



<Kb11«* 0f (Bob. 

(Read 1 Samuel iii. 1-10.) 

ryiHEEE is more said in the Bible about the ehild- 
-*- hood of Samuel than of any of God's other 
servants. 

Samuel had godly parents, and this was a great 
blessing to him. From the day he was born his 
mother 'lent him to the Lord* (1 Sam. i. 28). It is 
a good thing, dear children, to have a father and 
mother who fear God ; if you have them, be thankful 
for it, and do not grieve them by doing wrong. 

Samuel had many great religious advantages. He 
lived in God's House, and was taught by the high priest 
himself. He could watch the daily sacrifices being 
offered, and heard the explanation of God's law. And 
if we turn to 1 Sam. ii. 26, we shall be able to guess 
from it that Samuel did not neglect his opportunities, 



iog CALLED OF GOD. 

but made use of them to become a holy, obedient, and 
God-fearing boy (EpE. v. 16). 

There were two other boys who had just the same 
advantages, but made a very different use of them. 
Eli's two sons^ — Hophni and Phinehas. It just shows 
us that boys and girls may be brought up in Christian 
households, and be taught all about God, and yet make 
a different use of all these opportunities. Samuel was 
in favour with God (1 Sam. ii. 26), and the joy and 
pride of his mother's heart ; the other two angered 
Him, and brought down their father's grey hairs with 
sorrow to the grave (1 Sam. iv. 17, 18). 

When God spoke to little Samuel, the boy did 
not know it was God's voice, but fancied it was only 
that of Eli. How many of us make this mistake 
now ! When some one speaks to us of the love of 
Jesus, and bids us come to Him, we listen carelessly, 
thinking it is only ' mother ' or ' teacher ' or ' the 
clergyman * talking. Instead of that, it is the voice oj 
God. If Samuel had turned over and gone to sleep 
again, saying, ' It is only Eli,' he would surely 
never have become God's messenger, and chosen 
prophet. But no, he was ready to obey the call, 
even when fancying it to be Eli's voice, and in 
obeying he found himself face to face with God 
(1 Sam. iii. 21). 

God called him three times ; God is so unlike 



CALLED OF GOD. 109 

ourselves. We think it enough to speak once, and to 
expect instant obedience. God shows His long-suffer- 
ing by calling often (Prov. iii. 1—4). No one else 
heard the call to Samuel ; and so God may speak to 
you among a class of boys or a group of girls, and your 
inmost heart may hear and answer when no one else 
knows anything about it. 

How ready Samuel was to spring from his warm 
bed at night to find out if he could do anything for 
Eli. Are we as obliging ? Why, I have often known 
a girl grumble at being asked to run upstairs for her 
mother's thimble, and I think I have seen boys look 
very cross and un amiable when asked to take letters 
to the post, or to run to some shop with a message. 
Yes, there are such children, but they ought to learn 
a lesson from Samuel. 

Samuel repeated just what Eli told him. Some 
people add on a little to what they are told to say. 
Do you ? 

I think there are two great lessons you may learn 
from the story of Samuel's childhood, although there 
are plenty of small ones too. 

Firstly, we learn that God calls children, not only 
the grown-up, the wise, the sick, the dying — but 
children, bright, happy, healthy children (Matt. xix. 
14). He speaks to you. Do you hear Him? Will 
you answer Him ? 



no CALLED OF GOD. 

Secondly, that God wants children as His messengers. 
You are not a bit too young to serve God, to listen to 
what He says, and to go and tell it to some one else. 
How nice for you as you lie on your bed at night to 
ask God to speak to you, and then in the morning to 
find some one who wants to hear one of God's sweet 
sayings, and to repeat to them one like this, — 

' Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy 
laden, and I will give you rest' (Matt. xi. 28). Will 
you try ? 

1 If God would speak to me, 

And say He was my Friend, 
How happy I should be ! 

Oh, how would I attend ! 
The smallest sin I then should fear 
If God Almighty was so near. 

And does He never speak ? 

Ah, yes ! for in His Word 
He bids me come and seek 

The God that Samuel heard ; 
In almost every page I see 

The God of Samuel calls to me. 



PURIFIED HEARTS. 1 1 1 



Thirtieth Day. 



^nviiitb Hearts- 

(Read Matt. v. 2-12.) 

'"PURE in heart!' you cry. 'How can I ever be 
-*- this ? My heart is very far from being pure ; 
it is full of things evil and sinful, like a cage full of 
foul and evil birds' (Jer. v. 27). If only the 'pure in 
heart see God' (Matt. v. 8), how shall I ever stand 
face to face with Him ? 

God knows that every heart is sinful, ' deceitful 
and desperately wicked' (Jer. xvii. 9), and yet He 
speaks of 'purified hearts ' (Acts xv. 9) — that is to say, 
hearts that have been purified and made clean by 
simple faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Sinful hearts are washed and made clean by the 
'blood of Christ' (1 John i. 7) ; then, however black 
they have been in God's sight, they are as ' white as 
snow' (Isa. i. 18). But even a little blood-washed 



U2 PURIFIED HEARTS. 

heart is apt to get soiled and stained with sin again. 
Faith in a dying Saviour's blood can cleanse the 
guiltiest soul ; but even after our hearts have been 
washed, dark sin-flakes fall upon them again by 
contact with evil, and then the Lord has to ' purify ' 
us once more. How do you think He does it ? 

I once had a beautiful, chased, silver card-case. 
From age and long use it had become so black that 
no one could have told it was silver. I took it to 
the jeweller, and asked him to clean it. He said he 
could only do so in one way, — by passing the card- 
case through the fire until all the defilement had been 
burnt out of it. 

' Burn my beautiful card-case ! ' I exclaimed ; e surely 
that will destroy it.' 

The jeweller smiled, for he knew better, and bade 
me trust him not to damage it. 

So it came back to me one day, pure, fresh, and 
shining, so lovely in its glittering, delicate form that 
every one exclaimed in admiration. 

I thought then, dear children, that when we, like 
the card-case, need purifying, God does it in much the 
same way. He has to use strong remedies to restore 
us to purity and beauty. He has often to put us into 
a very hot fire of trial and temptation. That is what 
St. Peter meant when he spoke of the ' fiery trial ' 
which tries God's children (1 Pet. iv. 12), and of the 



PURIFIED HEARTS. 113 

'trial of faith' (1 Pet. i. 7) through which they 
must go, and out of which they come fresh and fair 
like gold that has been tried in the furnace (Prov. xvii. 
3 ; Job xxiii. 10). 

Perhaps some of my dear little friends have had 
a hard battle lately against sin. You may have had 
to stand the fire of ridicule, or contempt, or sneers, 
but be sure your dear Saviour is only purifying your 
heart ; the fire will not consume you, so do not fear 
it, but will only consume that which is earthly and 
defiling in you (Heb. xii. 11). And Jesus, the great 
Refiner, sits by the fire, watching all the trial ; He 
does not allow the furnace to become hoiter than you 
can bear or than you need. 

That should be your comfort. And you will come 
out of it all the brighter in faith, holier in heart, 
firmer in hope, stronger in love, than you ever were 
before and people will see that, if you were in the 
furnace, some One else was with you all the time, 
even Jesus (Dan. iii. 25). 

1 Have patience ! — till the lire 
Has purged each earthly stain, 
And then the trial furnace 
Will lose its power to pain. 

Have patience ! — till His Image 

Reflected shines from thee, 
Revealing His sweet purpose — 

The dimly grasped "need be, 999 

8 



114 I AM ALPHA AND OMEGA. 



Thirty-first Day. 



% am JUpIja anb <$mtQa. 

(Read Rev. i. 1-8.) 

A LPHA is the first letter of the Greek Alpha- 
-*-**- bet, Omega is the last ; so it is as if Jesus 
spoke to you to-night, saying, 'I AM the A and 
the z: 

The Bible is so simple that even a little child can 
understand it, and any one knowing ' A B C ' would 
understand He meant by this that He is the Beginning 
and the End of all things, the First and the Last. 

When we began our evening readings, we talked 
about Jesus being First — first in our hearts, our love, 
our life. Now we have come to our last talk, on the 
last evening of the month, and still we find Jesus our 
sweetest theme, and the subject of our 'good-night' 
thoughts, the Beginning and the End of our little 
book. 



AM ALPHA AND OMEGA. 115 

Let us consider Him as the Beginning and the End 
of our salvation. 

We should never have been saved at all if Jesus 
had not put it into our hearts by His Holy Spirit to 
seek Him as Saviour and Friend. He began the work 
in our hearts, and He will complete it (Phil. i. 6). 
He will never leave us, nor forsake us, until He brings 
us safe to heaven (Heb. xiii. 5). Having once loved 
us with an everlasting love (Jer. xxxi. 3), He will love 
us unto the end (John xiii. 1). We can never find 
out when His love for us began or will end. 

Two children, boy and girl, stood at the gate watch- 
ing their father ride away. ' Good-bye, children,' he 
cried. ' Good-bye, dear father/ shouted the lad. ' I 
love you forty miles long.' 

6 Good-bye, father,' softly echoed the girl. ' You 
can never ride to the end of my love.' 

We can never exhaust the love of Jesus, never come 
to the end of it. It is ' great love ' (Eph. ii. 4), 
'everlasting love' (Jer. xxxi. 3). 

II. He is the Beginning and the Ending of our 
Bible. We find Him pictured in Genesis (its first 
book) as Isaac, the well-beloved Son, laying down His 
life at His Father's will (Gen. xxii. 9). We find Him 
in Revelation (the last book) as the Water of Life 
given to the thirsty (Rev. xxi. 6, xxii. 17). The 
smitten Rock in Exodus (Exod. xvii. 6), the dying Lamb 



u6 I AM ALPHA AND OMEGA. 

of Leviticus (Lev. iii. 7, 8), the uplifted Serpent in 
Numbers (Num. xxi. 9) — all, all tell of Christ. While 
in the New Testament we find Him as the Eock 
(1 Cor. x. 4), the 4 Lamb of God' (John i. 29), the 
Son of Man uplifted still (John iii. 14), the First and 
Last. 

III. He is the Beginning and the End of all our 

joy- 

For if we are in darkness, He is the light (John 
ix. 5) ; if we want guidance, He is the Star (Eev. 
xxii. 16); if we want healing, He is the 'balm of 
Gilead ' (Jer. viii. 22); strength for the battle, He 
is a Shield (Ps. lxxxiv. 9). Comfort in trouble ? 
He is our Comforter (Isa. lxvi. 13); teaching or 
helping? He is our Wisdom (1 Cor. i. 21); anything 
or everything? ' He is ALL in ALL 1 (Eph. i. 23). 
Oh ! no wonder He calls Himself c Alpha and Omega.' 
When we get to heaven by and by, we shall still find 
Him everything there. 

Mr. Moody was once preaching a sermon on ' Jesus/ 
When walking away after the meeting he said to a 
friend, ' I did not finish the subject/ His friend 
answered, ' Oh, man ! you didn't expect to finish it, 
did you ? Why, it would take all eternity to get to 
the end of Jesus and His love.' 

Is not that true ? 

He will be the first one we shall look for in heaven, 



T AM ALPHA AND OMEGA. 117 

I think ; we shall so long to see His dear face, and 
hear His sweet voice. 

A dear little child lay dying, her father and mother 
sat grieving beside her sick bed, each holding a hand. 
The father bent over her,, and said, — 

' Darling, are you afraid to go across the dark 
river ? Jesus is calling you/ The child opened her 
eyes, and smiled at him. Then making a great effort, 
said, — 

1 Father, I'm not afraid. You see Jesus is no 
stranger to me.' 

Could you say that ? Is Jesus the First and the 
Last, no stranger to you ? Is He your dear Saviour, 
your only hope, your future joy ? Will you not 
pray, — 

'0 Jesus! be mv First and Last — the Be^innino' 
and the End of everything to me.' 

'No other name is given, 

Xo other way is known ; 
'Tis Jesus Christ, the First, the Last 
He saves, and He alone.' 



u8 CHRISTMAS. 



For Christmas Day. 



Christmas* 

(Read Luke ii. 4-20.) 

TTOW are you going to spend Christmas ? 
-■"*- You and I, dear reader, if we love the Lord 

Jesus Christ, and live to please Him, pause a little 
before we answer the question. We no longer live 
unto ourselves, but unto Him who died for us (Phil, 
i. 21); and the question reaches our hearts in an 
altered form from that in which it entered our ears. 

How would Jesus have us spend Christmas ? Ah ! 
that shapes our plans, and sobers a little bit of our 
excitement. 

Thinking the matter out for ourselves, and going to 
God's Word to find out what He would have us do, we 
find a most beautiful example set us by the shepherds 
in Luke ii. They did three things, which, if we follow, 
will ensure us the happiest Christmas we have ever spent. 






CHRISTMAS. n$ 

I. They went to see the new-born King (ver. 15). 
They were not content to hear He was born in Beth- 
lehem, even though the glad news fell from the joyful 
lips of angels. They wanted to see His face (Rev. xxii. 
4 ; Isa. xxxiii. 17), and they arose and went to Him. 

The first thing you and I need, then, is to look at 
the Lord Jesus this Christmas-tide. We will not be 
content to sing His wondrous birth, or to read or hear 
about His sweet, strange coming to earth. Let us 
get so close to Him by faith that we can look into 
His blessed face, and cry, rejoicing, ' Unto us a child 
is born, unto us a son is given ' (Isa. ix. 6). 

No matter what the difficulties are, let us make up 
our minds this Christmas to struggle through them to 
Jesus (Luke viii. 45). 

If we have never looked to Him as our Saviour 
before, we will look now ; if we have trusted Him in 
the past, we will take a fresh look at Him to-day. 
We can never look too often (Heb. xii 2). 

II. The shepherds, after seeing their precious infant 
Saviour, glorified and praised God, ' for all the things 
they had heard and seen ' (Luke ii. 20). 

Just what we ought to do after gazing into the 
face of Jesus. We ought to have hearts full of joy 
and praise (Ps. xcv. 1). ' How can I keep from sing- 
ing ? ' we shall say, when people make the remark, 
1 You seem very happy.' Oh ! yes, the joy in our 



126 CHRISTMAS. 

hearts is sure to well up to our lips, and the music of 
His love will fill all our lives. Christians are happy 
people! l Thou hast put gladness in my heart' (Ps. 
iv. 7) is what we can each and all look up arid say. 
We first see Jesus, and then sing about Him. 

III. But the shepherds did more than sing. With 
their eyes still full of the sight of their Saviour (ver. 
17), and their lips still filled with sweet songs of 
praise, their feet carried them back to their flocks. 
There was work to do ; and faith in their new-found 
Saviour, and praise for His loving-kindness, fitted them 
for that service. Never before had they worked so 
light-heartedly and happily. 

And you, young Christian, go back to work when 
Christmas is over. It may be to work for Jesus in 
school-life or business, or in teaching or serving — it 
matters not ; your work will be sweetened by your 
sight of Christ, and cheered by your songs of thank- 
fulness. 

Oh, yours will be a happy Christmas if it is spent in 
seeing, singing of, and serving the Christ of Bethlehem ! 

' Oh ! bright the thought to the glad in heart 

As they join in Christmas song an I lay, 
That in all their joys the Lord takes part, 

For His loving smile is their light to-day. 
Come, loyal souls, close linked by love, 

Now join each heart in welcoming, 
With praise that swells the choir above, 

Our new-born Christ, our God and King!' 



THE TWO LOOKS. 121 



For New Year's Morning. 



(Read Prov. iv. 25-27; Phil. iii. 13, 14.) 

nriHE old year brings you a message — only two 
-*- words ; but such important words, ' Look back ! ' 

Look back ? upon what ? Ah ! I cannot tell you. 
You can better tell me. Is it upon a record of days 
begun badly, and ended worse ; of fits of naughtiness 
and tears of passion, of lessons forgotten or badly 
learnt, of mothers sad face over a wayward little 
one, and father's grave displeasure because you have 
not grown a better child this year ? 

A whole year gone and you meant to be good, and 
cannot think how it is you do not seem to have 
improved. Yes, it is a terrible thing to look back 
upon a year that has quietly slipped away, and to feel 
conscious that its hours are recorded on high as 
w T asted, unimproved, or lost for ever. 



122 THE TWO LOOKS. 

But while the consciousness of sin weighs down 
your heart, listen again to that solemn voice — ' Look 
back ! ' Where ? At the Cross of Christ, with the 
blood shed for sin (Matt. xxvi. 28); at the wonderful 
fountain with its scarlet stream, opened for sin and 
un cleanness (Zech. xiii. 1). Take to that Cross your 
load of sin, take to that fountain your many stains, 
and, as they are blotted out for ever, thank God that 
your soul, which ' looked hack ' on your sinful past, has 
been able to look hack on a dying Saviour. Do not 
let any more of the hours of your life run out until 
you know yourself pardoned through the blood of the 
Cross (1 John i. 7). 

The New Year has its message too. What is it ? 
'Look forward!' (Exod. xiv. 15). 

There is no better motto for your dawning year 
than this message in other words, as— ' Let thine eyes 
look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight 
before thee' (Pro v. iv. 25). 

Look on to what ? Well, if you have taken the 
two backward looks, you can look forward to a New 
Year in more senses than one. 

You must look on. It is neither wise nor healthy 
to live looking back at the failures and disappointments 
of the past. 

Besides, you have a New Friend (Pro v. xviii. 24), 
even Jesus ; new strength against sin — His strength 






THE TWO LOOKS. 123 

(Phil. iv. 13), new love to God given to } T ou by His 
Spirit (Rom. v. 2), new wishes to please and new 
power to please — all His gifts (Rom. viii. 9—32). 

How rich you are in new things ! What a happy 
New Year you will have. With what a new hope 
will you turn to the tiresome lessons, or get up on the 
cold January mornings to practise, or to please the 
babies in the nursery. 

You never could manage to do things as you ought 
before, but that look back at Jesus sets everything 
right, and looking up at Jesus keeps everything right. 

Yes, ' look straight before thee/ A racer does not 
win the prize if he turns right or left, or stoops to 
pick up things flung across his path. We are not 
safe if we get our soul's eye off Jesus. It must be 
ever, always, l looking unto Jesus ' (Heb. xii. 2). The 
more you look at Him, the more you will grow like 
Him (2 Cor. iii. 18). 

Still once more, ' Look forward ! ' to what ? To His 
coming again (Acts i. 11). Another year has gone, and 
He is one year nearer to us. You do not fear to meet 
the Saviour, whom you met long ago as a guilty little 
sinner at the foot of His Cross ? If He was kind to 
you then — wondrously kind — when you were laden 
with sin, and your heart full of doubt and rebellion, He 
will not fail to be infinitely gracious when He conies 
to call you home to Himself (John xiv. 3). How 



124 THE TWO LOOKS. 

pleasant it is to look forward to that ! Life's school- 
time over, we are ' going home ' for eternity — such a 
gathering of friends, such a gladness, such a welcome, 
such a home, and such a Father to meet us there ! 

We cannot look forward half enough, and our 
hearts need the New Year message sent to us to-day, 
that with calm, glad trust we may f let our eyes look 
right on, and our eyelids straight before us/ 

'Keep looking up to Jesus, 

He looketh down on thee ; 
The faces upturned to the Light, 

Shine ever radiantly, 
And the glory resting on them now 
Crowneth eternally.' 



GOD OUR HOME. 125 



For New Year's Evening. 



'Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling place (or Home) in all 
generations.' — Ps. xc. 1. 

"TT7*HO could find a better text with which to close 
" * the last page of a finished year ? 

Who amongst you, my dear little friends, can look 
up to God, and truly say, ( Lord, Thou hast been my 
home all through this year/ When you were troubled 
and weary, did you run to your Father in heaven, 
and pour out all your sorrow into His loving 
heart ? 

When you felt cold and hungry in soul, did you 
nestle down in His tender arms, and feel you 
had got * home ' ? Or have you been standing 
1 outside the gate ' looking in at the w r armth and 
welcome, and longing to be able to say, ' I have 



126 GOD OUR HOME. 

a home. My home is in my Fathers heart/ We 
sing, — 

* There's a home for little children 

Above the bright blue sky- 
Where Jesus reigns in glory, 

A home of peace and joy. 
No home on earth is like it, 

Nor can with it compare ; 
For every one is happy, 

Nor can be happier there.' 

Now, what is a home ? 

Firstly, it is where children are born. 

Secondly, where they live. 

Thirdly, where they love to be. 

All God's little ones are born of Him (1 John iii. 
9, 10), they are His children; and though sent out 
into the school-life of this world, their hearts always 
turn back with love and delight to ' Father' and 'Home.' 

We sing, ' Heaven is our home,' and true it is ; but 
more truly can we say, ' God Himself is our home, 
and heaven is only where God is.' 

Then a little child lives, or ought to live, at home. 
All God's children do. There are no such things as 
homeless or destitute children of God. 

Sometimes, indeed, we hear of children wandering 
from home, and getting hurt or lost, or falling into 
some trouble ; and this may happen to one of the 
Lord's little ones. The best thing to do if you find 



GOD OUR HOME. 127 

yourself from ' home ' is to run back, or creep back 
(Isa. xliii. 22), to get back somehow, anyhow; for you 
are never safe away from God, and you must not, 
dare not, linger (Gen. xix. 17). Is it possible one 
little boy or girl is reading this who said a few weeks 
ago, ' Lord, Thou hast been my home/ and yet to-day, 
with the shadow of the past year falling upon you, 
and the light of the New Year dawning on your 
newly opened path, you may be feeling, like the 
prodigal son, that you are away (Luke xv. 20), far 
away from your ' home/ and have never even tried to get 
back ? Do not let the night pass before you come back 
again, before you lift up your heart to the Lord Jesus, 
and ask Him to carry you ' home ' (Luke xv. 5, 6). 

1 Home ' is where a child is happy, and loves to be ; 
and who is not happy with God ? Who so really. 
heartily happy as the little child who has made God 
his refuge (Ps. xci. 9), and found a dwelling place in 
the Most High. How the angels must sing in 
heaven ! How their hearts must brim over with joy, 
for God is there ; and they are in God, and He is in 
them (Eev. xxi. 3 ; John xvii. 21). 

But you and I can taste a little of that joy down 
here, and get some idea of its fulness above; for do 
we not read, ' He that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in 
God'? (1 John iv. 16). 

If God has been our ' home ' in days past, it is a 



123 GOD OUR HOME. 

sure token that He will be our ' home ' in days to 
come ; so we have in our text a sunbeam to gild the 
New Year pathway before us, as well as to chase 
away the shadow of the past. For God never 
changes (Mai. iii. 6) ; what He has been He always 
will be (Heb. xiii. 8). So you can not only say to- 
day, with a backward glance of experience, ' Lord, 
Thou hast been/ but you can give a forward glance 
of faith and hope, and cry, ' Lord, Thou wilt be my home.' 
This year may bring many changes to you, many 
trials, many joys ; but a child who has God on his 
side can stand firm as a rock, and defy storm, change, 
or sunshine (Eom. viii. 31). The Lord grant that you 
and I may enter this New Year trusting thus in Him ! 



< jesus died: 129 



For Good Friday. 
'f*SUS But*/ 

(Read Mark xvi. 15-37.) 

"T\0 you know why we call to-day 'Good Friday'? 
•^ Because the day on which Jesus died was a 
good day for all of us ; for had He not died, we must 
have perished (Eom. v. 6). 

Let me talk to you a little about Jesus, telling you 
why He died, how He died, and what His dying has 
done for us. 

Are you a good child when you fail to do what 
father bids you ? No. 

There is a great Father in heaven, always kind 
and good, whom we often disobey (Ps. liii. 1). We are 
wicked when we displease our Father in heaven, very 
wicked. Indeed, if we do not love Him best of every- 
body, and try all day to please and serve Him. we 

9 



130 i jesus died: 

are doing wrong (Deut. vi. 5). Nay, even if our 
thoughts are vain and foolish, it is wrong-doing in 
God's sight, for ' the thought of foolishness is sin ' 
(Prov. xxiv. 9). 

I am sure you will feel that you have not always 
done right, so you must have committed sin. If you 
have sinned (as wrong- doing is called in the Bible) 
(Rom. ii. 12), how are you to get forgiveness? I 
will tell you what some poor, ignorant people do in 
places a great way off from this country. They try 
to take away their own sins, and induce God to 
forgive them. So some hurt themselves ; often cut- 
ting themselves with sharp knives or stones ; often 
walking with sharp nails in their shoes or on hot 
irons, or suffering many other painful things to rid 
their souls of sin. This is foolish, but they know 
no better. Now, supposing you had done wrong, dis- 
obeying your father, would you cut your finger with 
a knife, and because it smarted and bled, tell your 
father he ought to forgive you ? Oh no ! you would 
not be so foolish. 

Other people give all they possess or love best to 
get their sins taken away (Micah vi. 7, 8), money, 
clothes, food, even their little children, hoping that 
God will forgive them ; but this is useless. ' If I 
wash myself with snow water, and make my hands 
never so clean; yet shalt Thou plunge me in the ditch, 



'jesus died: 131 

and mine own clothes shall abhor me' (Job ix. 30, 
31). 

Why ? Is God a hard, unkind Father who will 
not forgive His naughty children ? No ; but it is 
useless to give these things to God, they are His 
already. You would not try and get your earthly 
father to forgive your wrong-doing by going to him 
and giving him his own drawing - room clock, or 
his pretty flowers or vases ? You would laugh at 
the idea of such a thing. What is to be done, 
then ? 

I think I hear some little child say, 1 1 will try and 
do better for the future, and not vex God any more ; 
perhaps then He will forgive me.' 

Now, suppose you were to begin this very Good 
Friday and never do any more naughty things, always 
being good, would that do away with the sins you had 
committed before ? Let me see. Suppose you were 
out walking with me and ran in the mud, your boots, 
hands, and clothes got all dirty and untidy, and 
you knew you had vexed and disobeyed me by doing 
so. You say to me, — 

I I know I am very dirty, mamma, and have done 
wrong ; but 111 not go into the mud any more, and 
so I am quite clean/ 

' But/ I answer, ' you are not clean, you are dirty, 
and I cannot walk with you. Your promising that 



132 ' jesus died: 

you will not go into the mud any more does not make 
you clean.' Ah ! you see that, don't you ? 

We have surely found out why Jesus died ; it was 
to make us clean, and to take away the sins of which 
we could not otherwise get rid. 

How could He do this ? By being punished for 
the sin instead of us: 'Himself bare our sins' (1 Pet. 
ii. 24). 

Supposing again you w T ere a thief condemned to be 
hanged for stealing. A man comes up and says, 'I 
love that little boy very much, and want you to forgive 
him.' ' No, I cannot/ replies the judge ; ' for it is 
written in my book that those who steal must be 
hung.' 

' Well, let me be hung, 9 replies the kind friend. ' I 
cannot bear that this boy should die, and I love him 
so much that / will die for him. 9 And the judge 
permits it ; the friend is hung, and the boy's life is 
spared. That boy would be saved from the punish- 
ment of His sins. 

Who saved him ? The judge ? No ; he forgave 
him, and set him free. But who died for him ? The 
kind friend died, and so the friend was his saviour. 
That is how Jesus saves. He died for you, and the 
heavenly Father can now set you free (1 John i. 1, 2). 

And what did His dying do for you ? He took 
away your sin (John i. 29), and brings you new life, 



1 jesus died: 133 

If you believe Jesus died on the Cross, and died there 
for any one needing his sins taken away, will you not 
cry to Him, and tell Him you want yours forgiven ? 
(Ps. xli. 4). Will you not kneel down and ask Him 
this Good Friday to save you ? 

1 Alas ! and did my Saviour bleed ? 
And did my Sovereign die ? 
Would He devote that sacred head 
For such a worm as I ? 

Was it for sins that I had done 

He groaned upon the tree ? 
Amazing pity ! grace unknown, 

And love beyond degree.' 



134 JESUS LIVES. 



For Easter Evenwg. 



(Read Matt, xxviii. 1-8.) 

T71AELY one Easter morning a little boy knocked 
-" softly at his mother's door, and on gaining 
admittance his eager face peeped round the curtain 
of the bed with the news, ' Oh, mamma dear, I 
wondered if you remembered Jesus was alive ? ' and 
the little fellow danced round the room, irrepressible 
joy seeming to fill his small soul. 

Jesus is alive ! sweet, precious truth. No dead 
Christ of Calvary to look to, to trust in, or to pray 
to ; but a living, loving, feeling, speaking Saviour, as 
truly alive as you and I, dear young reader, to-day. 

Some of us think we know all about it, and the 
story of the resurrection has lost its freshness and 
force for us. The glorious morning dawns year by 
year softly and brightly, and we do not know as we 



JESUS LIVES. 135 

ought the 'power of His resurrection ' (Phil. iii. 10), 
which fills hearts brimful of joy and irrepressible 
delight. What comfort does the knowledge that 
1 Jesus lives ' bring to us ? 

Two great comforting truths (out of many) we 
may rejoice in to-day. 

A living, risen Saviour is an ' accepted Saviour ; ' 
that is to say, God has accepted His work for us 
(Eph. i. 6). 

Jesus wrought His great work of redemption for us 
on the Cross, in bitter pain and terrible shame. It is 
written, — 

' It pleased the Lord to bruise Him ; He hath put 
Him to grief (Isa. liii. 10). 'He bore our sins in 
His own body on the tree ' (1 Pet. ii. 24). 

Was His Cross, His agony, His death enough to 
save us ? Are we quite sure that He has really taken 
away our sin, and opened the kingdom of heaven to 
all believers ? 

Yes, quite sure ; for God has raised Him from the 
dead to prove this to all the world (Eom. vi. 4). If 
He was not ' well pleased ' with all His well-beloved 
Son had done for poor sinners, He would never have 
brought Him up from the grave in triumph, and set 
Him at His own right hand (Heb. x. 12, 13). 

God is well pleased with Jesus (Matt. xvii. 5), and 
with His work for us. If He is satisfied, we may be, 



i36 



JEHVS lives. 



and rejoice in our risen, accepted Saviour, knowing 
ourselves accepted too in Him (Eph. i. 6). 

Our risen Saviour lives and loves. 

We need not look for Him in the grave (Matt, 
xxviii. 6). Nor is He a great and good friend who 
lived long years ago, and now is far away. Oh no ; 
' He was dead, and is alive again' (Eev. i. 18). He 
did love, and keeps on loving always, with an ' ever- 
lasting love ' (Jer. xxxi. 3). The youngest, humblest 
child, who longs to know Him and follow out His 
wishes, is loved unto the end (John xiii. 1). 

How sweet to know that Jesus ever lives, sitting at 
God's right hand to plead for us (Heb. vii. 25). If 
we pray in His name to the Father, even if our 
prayers be weak and sinful, God hears and answers, 
for Jesus' sake (John xiv. 13). If .good thoughts 
enter our minds, if we try very hard to do right, if 
we resist any temptation, it is because Jesus is living 
and is 'mighty' to help us (Ps. lxxxix. 19). We can 
only do good things by His help; we can be or do 
nought without Him (John xiv. 5). We are forgiven, 
because Jesus died; we are saved, because Jesus 
lives (Eom. v. 10). 

Now that we know the good news, let us tell 
others about it. The women were told to 'go 
quickly, and tell His disciples that He is risen' 
(Matt, xxviii. 7). 



JZSUS L/VAS. 137 

Are there not some to whom you could carry the 
glad message that Jesus died and Jesus lives ? 

Try and speak about Him to some one — schoolfellow, 
brother, sister, or friend. Let this Easter Day find 
you carrying the glad news to all around : ' Christ is 
risen ! ' 

' Easter dawns ! and Christ is risen, 

Ending earth's long sorrow quest, 
Hushed the wailing of creation 

Into peaceful, perfect rest. 
Christ is risen ! ! the heart bliss 

Wrapt within those simple words, 
Wealth of magic, matchless music, 

Breathe out in those heaven-struck chords.' 



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FASCINATING !— PURE !— STRONG ! 

K 



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They stand Unrivaled in the 
l^ealm of Religious Fiction T 



WORl^S OF A^fllE S. SWfl.fi 

(MRS. BURNETT-STCITH). 

Across Her Path. 

i2mo. Cloth. 192 pages. 60 cents. 

Jasper Leigh seemed to be her Nemesis. Would he 
haunt her life, and cast a shadow across her path in the 
end? she wondered, not guessing how many times she 
would need to ask these questions in days to come. — 
Extract from Across Her Path. 

Here is a beautifully written story by a popular and gifted 
writer, illustrating the meanness of the passion of revenge, the pa- 
tient and triumphant endurance of a heart conscious of its integ- 
rity. Here is drawn with rare distinctness the blessedness of a 
deep and genuine repentance, the beauty and power of a full and 
free forgiveness. Such books as this do no harm ; their purpose 
and tendency is to do good.— Wesleyan Christian Advocate. 



Dorothea Kirke ; or, Free to Serve. 

167710. Cloth. 166 pages. 45 cents. 

O, these dear hands of gentle women! There is heal- 
ing in their ministry akin to that which followed the 
touch of the Master when he went about continually do- 
ing good. — Extract from Dorothea Kirke. 

The religious tone of this book is strong, vigorous, and emi- 
nently practical. The story is interestingly written, and tells of 
one who, having buried those whom she held most dear, to " make 
the waiting easy," devoted her life to searching out, helping, and 
comforting those who needed friends.— Buffalo Christian Advocate. 

This is a well-conceived and beautifully written story of a gen- 
uine woman — strong in all natural and acquired elements of 
character. — Northern Christian Advocate. 

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WORKS OF ANNIE S. SWAN— Continued. 



Briar and Palm. A Story of Circumstance and 
Influence. 

"The briar and the palm are the wages of life." — Tupper. 

I277W. Cloth. 318 pages. 90 cents. 

"My ambition is not buried, Lydia, only it has under- 
gone a change. I have only learned of late that there is 
something more required of me than mere striving after 
self-aggrandizement. With God's help, Lydia, I desire and 
intend to live a different life, and do what good I can in 
the world." — Dr. Dennis Hoi<gate;, in Briar and Palm. 

This is a charming religious story, in the author's best vein. — 

Religions Telescope. 

The influence of such a book is good, ennobling, and inspiring. 
It belongs to that class of books which, while not strictly religious, 
may profitably be placed in the hands of young people generally.— 
Church Advocate. 

With so much of flimsy literature flooding the market, it is 
refreshing to read such books as Briar and Palm, inculcating noble 
lessons of life.— The Wesleyan, Halifax, N. S. 






Hazell & Sons, Brewers. 

i6mo. Cloth, 250 pages. 75 cents. 

"O, this cruel drink!" sighed Mrs. Hazell. "It has 
utterly ruined Mr. Hazell. Do n't you remember, Lena, 
even when you came to us first, what a clear intellect 
and strong, sound judgment he had? He is terribly 
changed." — Extract from Hazell Csf Sons, Brewers. 

This is one of her best stories. As its title would indicate, it is 
a temperance story. It pictures the results of the drink-business 
in hardening a man naturally kind and sympathetic, until his own 
sons are driven from home, and his daughter is compelled to defy 
his right to bind her in matrimony to one who has gained a finan- 
cial hold upon him.— Michigan Christian Advocate. 

If the world could be flooded with this kind of literature it 
would be blessed indeed. Our Methodist constituency especially 
should respond to the efforts of our Book Concern to furnish all 
our families with a supply of pure and elevating reading.— Western 
Christian Advocate. 

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WORKS OF ANNIE S. SWAN— Continued. 

Who Shall Serve? A Story for the Times. 

1 2ino. Cloth. 442 pages. $1.00. 

As they stood there, peer and peasant, if I may use the 
words, with clasped hands, the touch of brotherhood and 
kinship drew them very near to each other. Both were 
honest souls, between whom the mystery of life had 
made a strong bond that day — one which would never be 
severed. — Extract from Who Shall Serve? 

Mrs. Smith (Annie S. Swan) is a favorite with all her readers. 
There is a vein of sweet seriousness in her stories, and a genuine 
tenderness and loyalty to truth and duty, that make them helpful, 
while full of charming interest. — Herald and Pi esbyter. 

The book is a vivid portrayal of the relation that should exist 
between the employer and the workiugman, which, it teaches, con- 
sists in hearty, sympathetic co-operation.— Lutheran Herald. 



The Gates of Eden. A Story of Endeavor. 
J 21110. Cloth. 317 pages, go cents. 

I can not hide that some have striven, 

Achieving calm, to whom was given 

The joy that mixes man with heaven : 

Who, rowing hard against the stream, 

Saw distant gates of Eden gleam, 

And did not dream it was a dream.— Tennyson. 

This book is deeply spiritual and Scriptural. Our author has 
that happy faculty for inculcation of evangelical truth that comes 
of earnest study of the Bible, with a tender and joyous experience 
of its saving power. — The Methodist Recorder. 



Carlowrie ; or, Among Lothian Folk. 

121110. Cloth. 320 page, go cents. 

Then Elsie stooped, and touched with her lips the 
name upon the stone. Henceforth that would be a 
sacred spot to them, as it was to many another heart in 
the parish. He also bent his head, and Elsie heard him 
say, "Mother," just as he would have said it had she been 
standing with them. Then he took Elsie's hand upon 
his strong arm, and they went away home. — Extract 
from Carlowrie* 

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WORKS OF ANN IE S. SW AN— Continued. 

Doris Cheyne. The Story of a Noble Life. 
I2mo. Cloth. J22 pages, go cents. 

Gabriel Windridge looked down into the girl's grave, 
earnest face with something akin to tenderness in his 
eyes. Her thoughtfulness touched him ; it exhibited a 
spirit so sweet and unselfish that unconsciously he felt 
rebuked. How bravely this young girl had taken up her 
cross, how bright and earnest and uncomplaining in her 
acceptance of changed circumstances and irksome duties! 
Doris was quite unconscious that she had read Gabriel 
Windridge a lesson that morning. — Extract from Doris 
Cheyne. 

A splendid book for young ladies. 



Robert Martin's Lesson. 

i6mo. Cloth. 1 66 pages. 60 cents. 

Robert Martin flung up his head, his face set in a 
high resolve, his eyes shining, his whole appearance 
that of a man who has awakened to the reality and the 
noblest purpose of life. "Ay, with His help, I shall go 
forward now, having no aim nor desire but to preach 
Christ and him crucified. I have been an unprofitable 
servant too long, and richly do I deserve that servant's 
reward. Pray for me, Ada, that I may be kept from fall- 
ing. — Extract from Robert Martin's Lesson. 

The great lesson of this book is the folly of trying to build up 
a Church on a worldly basis. The tone of all these books is health- 
ful and invigorating. — Buffalo Christian Advocate. 

An excellent, interesting, and instructive book, suitable for 
Sunday-school libraries and the home. — Religious Telescope. 



Maitland of Laurieston. A Family History. 

i2mo. Cloth. 447 pages, go cents. 

She stole into Agnes' room before going to her own. 
The light was out, but the blind being drawn up admitted 
the full and radiant light of the midsummer moon. Agnes 
was asleep. She did not hear the light foot-fall, the soft 

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WORKS OF ANN IE 5. SW AN— Continued. 

rustle of a woman's dress, nor feel the deep yearning of 
the motherly eyes bent upon her in love. Only in the 
night she dreamed that an angel knelt beside her bed, 
and left upon her a benison of peace. — Extract from 
M ait land of Lanrieston. 

We would put this book into the hands of young men anc 
women, believing that it has lessons which they need to learn, but 
which can seldom be so thoroughly learned as in the actual exped- 
iences of life. And this history seems so natural, so real, that we 
read along under the conviction that we are looking into the daily 
lives of the inmates of Laurieston.— The Church Advocate. 



The Ayres of Studleigh. 

i2mo. Cloth. 318 pages, go cents. 

" There is no innermost except what you see. I have 
had many lessons here, Cousin Will. You have taught me 
lessons which, please God, I shall never forget; but 
among them all, I hope I have been truly and clearly 
shown the wrong w T hich can be done in the world by 
prejudice and hard judgment." — Extract from the Ayres 
of Studleigh. 

It is an intensely interesting and instructive book. The aim of 
the work is to create a love for the good, the true, aud the beautiful 
in human character, however lowly born, and a healthy loath- 
ing for shoddy, threadbare, pinchback aristocracy.— Cumberland 
Presbyterian. 

Ursula Vivian: The Sister-Mother. 

i6mo. Cloth. 256 pages. 75 cents. 

So Ursula had conquered after all, not by her intellect, 
nor her music, nor her beauty, but by her chiefest 
charm — that exquisite womanliness which had been born 
of a great sorrow, and which sat so beautifully upon her. 

How would it end? — Extract from Ursula Vivian. 

A true-hearted, strong-minded girl, just leaving school-days be- 
hind her, suddenly finds herself orphaned and surrounded by 
financial embarrassments which threaten to utterly overwhelm 
her. How she emerged from this darkness, grew in loveliness of 
faith and feature, until she had conquered many hearts and achieved 
distinguished success, is told with the charm of well-wrought 
romance. — The Sunday-school Journal. 

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X X|^|Xl<jxlPjx x^^ 

WORKS OF ANN IE S. SW AN -Continued. 

Sheila. 

i2tno. Cloth, j/g pages, go cents. 

Sheila turned about, and gliding into the house closed 
the door. Then Fergus McLeod knelt down on the snow- 
covered doorstep, and prayed. When he rose from his 
knees he walked away from the house with a step which 
had resolution and hope in it. In his despair and disap- 
pointment he had tried the prodigal's husks, and had now 
come back, clothed and in his right mind, to the right 
way, which, with the help of God, he would never leave 
again. — Extract from Sheila. 

Sheila is a girl, the heroine of the book, and a charming charac- 
ter she is. Undivided attention will be the reader's portion, as all 
represented are distinctively self— entirely distinct from their 
associates. The writer touches the heart, and herein lies her suc- 
cess.— The Methodist, Philadelphia. 



St. Veda's; or, The Pearl of Orr's Haven. 

i2mo. Cloth. 320 pages, go cents. 

St. Veda's was a weather-beaten castle, built on the 
frowning brow of a great rock, against which the waves 
beat restlessly and fretfully evermore. The quaint win- 
dows in tower and turret commanded a magnificent 
prospect, the whole sweep of the Forth, and beyond 
the far-reaching and stormy North Sea. — Extract from 
St. Veda's. 

This is a charming tale of land and sea, written in the well- 
known style of the gifted author. The heroine is a child of for- 
tune who is true to God and humanity, and endears herself to 
the humble people and fishermen of the community, who are 
blessed by her tender ministrations. The book is a choice one for 
the family or Sunday-school.— Nebt a ska Christian Advocate. 

After a careful reading of this intensely interesting work, the 
reader can no longer wonder that the stories of Miss Swan have 
won such high praise from every source.— Lutheran Herald. 



CRANSTON & CURTS, Publishers, 
CINCINNATI, - CHICAGO, - ST. LOUIS. 

' (6) 



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